iV-»' 


,M,sHll!«lt5> 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


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WHIRLPOOLS 


THE  WORKS  OF 

HENRYK  SIENKIEWICZ 


Whirlpools 

"Quo  Vadis" 

With  Fire  and  Sword 

The  Deluge 

Pan  Michael 

Children  of  the  Soil 

Hania,  and  Other  Stories 

Sielanka,  a  Forest  Picture  and  Other 

Stories 
The  Knights  of  the  Cross 
Without  Dogma 
On  the  Field  of  Glory 


WHIRLPOOLS 

%  0oM  of  a^otiem  ^^olanH 


BT 


HENRYK  SIENKIEWICZ 

Author  of  "With  Fike  and  Sword,"  "The  Deluge," 

"  Quo  Vadis,"  "  Children  of  the  Soil," 

"  Without  Dogma,"  Etc. 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  POLISH  BT 
MAX  A.  DREZMAL 


BOSTON 

LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY 

1910 


Copyright,  1910 
Bt  Little,  Browx,  and  Compant 


All  rights  reserved 
Published  June,  1910 


THE   TTNIVERSITY    PRESS,    CAMBTIIDGE,    TT.  S,  A, 


WHIRLPOOLS. 

PAET  FIRST. 


Gronski  arrived  at  the  Jastrzeb  manor-house  about 
midnight.  In  the  house  all  were  asleep  excepting  an  old 
servant  and  the  young  heir,  Ladislaus  Krzycki,  who 
awaited  his  guest  with  supper  and  greeted  him  with  great 
cordiality,  for  notwithstanding  the  disparity  in  their  ages 
they  were  bound  by  ties  of  an  old  intimacy.  It  continued 
from  those  days  when  Gronski,  as  a  university  student, 
surrounded  with  a  tutelary  friendship  the  youthful  Krzycki, 
who  was  attending  the  gymnasium.  Later  they  met  fre- 
quently and  the  closer  friendly  relations  between  Gronski 
and  the  Krzycki  family  did  not  undergo  any  interruption. 

Therefore  when,  after  the  first  greetings,  they  repaired 
to  the  dining-room  the  young  heir  of  Jastrzeb  again 
began  to  embrace  Gronski.  After  a  while,  having  seated 
him  at  the  table,  he  shook  from  his  eyes  the  remnants  of 
drowsiness  which  had  oppressed  him,  became  thoroughly 
animated,  and  said  with  sincere  happiness : 

"How  immensely  fortunate  I  am  that  at  last  we  have 
you  at  Jastrzeb ;  and  Mother,  how  she  has  been  expecting 
you  1  I,  whenever  I  am  in  Warsaw,  always  begin  with 
you,  but  a  year  has  passed  since  your  last  visit  here." 

Gronski  inquired  about  Pani  Krzycki' s  health  and  that 
of  the  younger  members  of  the  household,  after  which 
he  said : 

"  It  is,  indeed,  strange  that  I  have  not  been  out  in  the 

1 


2  WHIRLPOOLS. 

country,  not  only  with  you  but  elsewhere.  In  summer 
time  they  dispatch  me  every  year  to  Carlsbad,  and  after 
Carlsbad  one  strays  somewhere  in  the  west.  Besides,  in 
Warsaw  matters  are  now  seething  as  in  a  caldron,  and  it 
is  difficult  to  tear  one's  self  from  all  this." 

The  conversation,  which  started  with  a  lengthy  discus- 
sion of  public  affairs,  was  afterwards  turned  by  Ladislaus 
towards  private  matters: 

"Did  you,"  he  said,  "besides  the  notification  of  the 
death  of  Uncle  Zarnowski,  receive  a  letter  from  Mother? 
I  ask  for  this  reason :  I  mailed  first  the  notification,  and 
later  in  the  day  Mother  decided  to  write  the  letter." 

"  I  received  both  and  for  that  reason  I  am  here.  I  tell 
you  candidly  I  would  not  come  merely  to  attend  your 
uncle's  funeral.  It  is  true  that  a  year  ago,  when  he  was 
in  Warsaw  for  medical  treatment,  we  dined  together  for 
several  months  at  the  same  club,  but  that  was  all ;  though 
people  were  astonished  that  such  a  misanthrope,  who 
avoided  everybody,  did  not  somehow  run  away  from  me. 
How  were  your  relations?   Were  they  cool  to  the  end?" 

"Rather,  there  were  none.  He  would  not  receive  any- 
body and  did  not  wish  to  see  any  one,  not  even  his 
parish-priest.  Extreme  unction  was  administered  by  the 
Canon  of  Olchowa.  When  he  became  seriously  ill,  we 
visited  him  in  Rzeslewo,  but  he  received  us  with  blunt 
discourtesy.  Mother  did  not  mind  it  and  repeated  her 
visits,  though  at  times  he  was  disagreeable  towards  her. 
As  for  myself,  I  confess  that  I  did  not  call  there  again 
until  he  was  in  a  very  critical  state." 

"Did  he  leave  a  large  estate?" 

"Rzeslewo  is  a  huge  patch  of  that  kind  of  soil  in  which 
you  can  anywhere  plant  at  least  onions.  There  is  not 
one  copper  coin  of  indebtedness.  At  one  time  Uncle  had 
a  house  in  Warsaw,  to  which  he  removed  the  entire  equip- 
ment from   Rzeslewo,   which  was   not,   by    any  means, 


WHIRLPOOLS.  3 

despicable.  We  thought  that  he  would  reside  perma- 
nently in  the  city,  but  he  later  sold  everything;  from 
which  I  infer  he  must  have  left  funds.  Some,  as  is  cus- 
tomary with  people  who  are  fond  of  exaggeration,  say 
hundreds  of  thousands.  The  Lord  only  knows.  But  this 
much  is  certain:  he  inherited  a  great  deal  from  his 
brothers.  I  do  not  know  whether  you  have  ever  heard 
that  there  were  three  of  them.  One  perished,  while  yet 
a  student,  in  a  duel  at  Dorpat;  the  other  died,  also 
young,  from  typhoid  fever,  and  Uncle  Adam  got  every- 
thing they  left." 

"It  is  said  that  he  lived  very  poorly." 

"He  stayed  a  great  deal  in  Warsaw  and  abroad  for  his 
health.  How  he  lived  there  I  do  not  know,  but,  after  his 
return  to  Rzeslewo,  very  wretchedly.  I  think,  however, 
that  this  was  more  due  to  whimsicality  than  to  greed,  for 
he  was  not  greedy.  You  would  not  believe  how  that 
manor  appeared;  how  everything  was  denuded  and  aban- 
doned. In  every  room  the  roof  was  leaky,  and  if  some 
unexpected  guests  or  unknown  relatives  arrive  for  the 
funeral,  I  will  have  to  invite  them  to  Jastrzeb,  for  there 
I  would  not  know  where  to  house  them." 

"Do  you  know  of  any  other  relatives?" 

"Yes,  there  are  Pani  Otocka  and  her  sister;  also  Dol- 
hanski,  who  undoubtedly  will  come,  and  ourselves.  I 
have  not  heard  of  others,  though  in  all  probability  they 
will  be  found,  as  in  Poland  everybody  is  related.  Mother 
insists  that  we  are  the  nearest,  but,  to  tell  the  truth,  we 
are  not  very  close ;  as  the  deceased  was  a  distant  cousin  of 
Mother's." 

"And  Pani  Otocka  and  Panna  Marynia?" 

"Better  ask  Mother  about  that;  yesterday  for  an  hour 
she  was  expounding  to  me  as  to  who  was  born  to  whom; 
what  he  was  to  whom;  whom  did  who's  sister  marry, 
and  what  was  who's  relation  to  the  deceased.    I  could  not 


4  WHIRLPOOLS. 

grasp  it  all.  Those  ladies  will  be  here  to-morrow  at  one 
o'clock,  and  with  them  an  English  lady,  their  friend." 

"I  know;  they  told  me  about  that  in  Warsaw,  not 
knowing  that  they  would  chance  upon  the  funeral. 
But  that  English  lady  speaks  Polish  almost  as  well  as 
we  do." 

"What?    How  is  that?" 

"Her  father  owned  a  factory  in  which  he  employed 
many  Polish  workmen.  The  young  lady,  while  a  child, 
had  a  Polish  nurse,  and  later  some  emigrant  taught  her 
Polish." 

"And  that  she  should  care  for  it!" 

"Among  the  English  people  you  will  find  many  odd 
characters,  and  this  Mr.  Anney  was  'an  odd  character  in 
this  respect,  that  he  could,  like  Lord  Dudley,  select  for 
his  heraldic  device:  'Causas  non  fata  sequor,'  because, 
like  him,  he  also  loved  Poland,  Polish  history,  and  the 
Poles.  The  workmen  were  sometimes  turbulent  and 
caused  him  much  annoyance,  but  this  did  not  dishearten 
him.  He  established  schools  for  them,  procured  priests, 
took  charge  of  the  orphans,  etc." 

"That  was  a  righteous  man.  But  Miss  Anney,  is  she 
pretty  ?  —  young  ?  " 

"About  Pani  Otocka's  age  —  a  year  younger  or  older 
—  and  they  are  very  fond  of  each  other.  How  long  is  it 
since  you  have  seen  Pani  Otocka  and  Marynia?" 

"It  is  six  years.  Pani  Otocka  was  not  yet  married  and 
Panna  Marynia  Zbyltowska  was  a  girl,  perhaps  ten  years 
old,  in  short  dresses.  I  well  remember  her  because  even 
then  she  played  the  violin  and  was  regarded  as  a  child- 
wonder.  My  mother  drew  nearer  to  them  last  summer  in 
Krynica  and  has  become  extraordinarily  captivated  with 
them.  She  insisted  that  this  winter  I  should  renew  their 
acquaintance,  but  they  left  Warsaw  for  the  winter.  Even 
then  she  commanded  me  to  invite  them  in  my  own  name 


WHIRLPOOLS.  5 

to  Jastrzeb,  and  a  few  days  before  the  death  of  Uncle,  she 
wrote  to  them  to  come  for  a  lengthy  visit.  Day  before 
yesterday  we  received  a  dispatch  that  they  will  come. 
You  are  on  intimate  terms  with  tliem?" 

"Yes,  on  intimate  and  very  sincere  terms,"  answered 
Gronski. 

"Because  I  wanted  to  speak  with  you  a  little  about 
them,  but  the  hour  is  late  and  you  are  after  a  journey. 
Perhaps  it  would  be  better  to  defer  it  until  to-morrow." 

"I  slept  on  the  train  and  it  is  not  far  from  the  station 
to  your  place.  Besides,  I  have  the  bad  habit  of  not  re- 
tiring to  sleep  before  two  o'clock." 

Ladislaus'  countenance  bore  slight  traces  of  perplexity. 
He  poured  out  for  himself  a  glass  of  wine,  drank  it,  and 
then  said: 

"The  matter  is  somewhat  delicate.  I  am  certain  that 
Mother  has  concocted  some  scheme.  Perhaps  she  may 
have  written  to  you  about  this  and,  if  not,  she  will  speak 
about  it,  because  she  is  much  concerned  about  your  opin- 
ion, and  in  a  certain  contingency  will  ask  your  assistance. 
Several  times  she  incidentally  spoke  about  your  influence 
with  Pani  Otocka.  I  believe  that  you  have  influence  with 
everybody,  not  excluding  my  mother.  For  that  reason  I 
would  like  to  ask  a  favor  of  you." 

Gronski  glanced  at  the  young  nobleman  and  after- 
wards at  the  servant,  as  if  he  wanted  to  say:  "Why  is  this 
witness  here?"   Ladislaus  understood  and  said: 

"He  is  very  deaf,  so  we  can  speak  quite  freely.  He 
wheezes  because  he  has  the  asthma." 

Afterwards  he  continued: 

"Mother  for  the  past  two  years  has  been  bent  upon  my 
getting  married,  so  she  bustles  about,  writes  voluminous 
letters,  and  sends  me  every  winter  to  Warsaw,  and  I  am 
certain  that  last  summer  she  was  in  Kr}'nica  not  so  much 
for  her  own  health,  which,  God  be  praised,  she  preserves 


6  WHIRLPOOLS. 

so  well,  but  to  look  over  the  young  ladies  and  make  a 
selection.  And  there  these  cousins  of  mine  have  so  be- 
witched her  that  she  returned,  as  I  surmise,  with  a  pre- 
pared project." 

"I  must  give  you  warning,"  interrupted  Gronski,  "that 
so  far  as  Panna  Marynia  is  concerned  you  are  building 
an  edifice  upon  ice,  as  in  the  first  place  she  is  but  sixteen ; 
and  again  she  will,  at  the  end  of  autumn,  return  to  the  con- 
servatory in  Brussels ;  and  thirdly  her  whole  soul  is  wrapped 
up  in  her  violin  and  in  all  probability  will  always  remain 
there." 

"May  it  stay  there.  You  say  'you  are  building/  but  I 
not  only  am  not  building,  but  would  prefer  that  Mother 
would  not  build,  as  it  will  be  unpleasant  for  her.  After 
all,  my  dear  mother  is  the  most  upright  soul  in  the  world, 
and  beyond  doubt  all  she  desires  is  that  I  should  have  a 
good  and  estimable  woman  for  a  wife ;  but  I  would  prefer 
that  my  future  spouse  should  not  resemble  too  much  a 
Grecian  statue." 

"Well  then?" 

"Well  then,  Panna  Marynia  is  not  involved  but  only 
an  ideal  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  warm  young  widow  r  to 
which  arrangement  I  cannot  by  any  means  assent." 

"I  will  answer  with  a  Lithuanian  anecdote,  according  to 
which  an  old  woman,  to  a  peasant's  assertion  that  he  did 
not  fear  the  master,  replied,  'Because  thou  hast  never 
seen  him.'  Likewise,  you  have  never  seen  Pani  Otocka, 
or  have  forgotten  how  she  looks." 

But  Ladislaus  repeated: 

"Not  for  the  world,  even  if  she  looked  like  a  sacred 
painting." 

"Then  perhaps  you  love  another?" 

"Why,  you  yourself  tormented  me  last  winter  about 
Panna  Rose  Stabrowska,  and  I  admit  that  she  has  made 
an  impression  upon  my  heart.     But  I  did  not  permit  my- 


WHIRLPOOLS.  7 

self  to  fall  in  love  with  her,  because  I  know  her  parents 
would  not  give  her  to  me.  I  am  not  and  will  not  be  rich 
enough  for  them.  For  that  reason  I  escaped  from  War- 
saw before  the  close  of  the  carnival.  I  did  not  wish  to 
envenom  with  vain  feeUng  my  life  or  hers,  if  she  should 
love  me." 

"But  in  case  of  a  will  in  your  favor?  Would  you  not 
rush  into  the  smoke  like  a  Uhlan  of  old?    Is  it  not  true?" 

"Most  assuredly;  but  as  I  cannot  depend  upon  that, 
and  as  that  will  not  happen,  there  is  no  necessity  of  talking 
further  about  it." 

"You  spoke,  however,  of  asking  a  favor  of  me.  In  what 
can  I  serve  you?" 

"I  wanted  to  beg  you  not  to  fortify  my  mother  in  her 
designs  as  to  Pani  Otocka." 

"How  queer  you  are !  Why,  when  your  mother  per- 
ceives your  disinclination  towards  her,  she  will  banish 
the  thought." 

"Yes,  but  there  will  remain  a  little  regret  for  herself 
and  for  me.  A  person  is  always  disappointed  when  his 
plans  miscarry,  and  Mother  is  so  eternally  worried,  though 
often  without  reason,  because,  after  all,  no  ruin  is  threaten- 
ing us.  But  she  has  so  much  confidence  in  your  judgment 
that  if  you  will  explain  to  her  that  it  is  better  to  abandon 
those  thoughts,  she  will  abandon  them.  However,  you  will 
have  to  contrive  it  so  that  it  will  appear  to  her  that  she 
herself  came  to  that  conclusion.  I  know  you  can  do  it, 
and  I  rely  upon  your  friendship." 

"My  dear  Laudie,"  said  Gronski,  "in  these  affairs  I 
have  less  experience,  and  therefore  less  judgment,  than 
the  first  female  neighbor  on  the  border  of  your  estate.  In 
your  mother's  letter  there  appears,  word  for  word,  the 
same  expression :  '  I  rely  upon  your  friendship.'  In  view 
of  this,  there  remains  only  one  thing  to  do,  and  that  is  not 
to  meddle  in  the  affair  at  all,  —  especially  as  I  will  can- 


8  WHIRLPOOLS. 

didly  state  to  you  that  I  entertain  for  Pani  Otocka  no  less 
friendship  than  I  do  for  you.  Considering  the  matter 
from  another  Hght,  it  is  pecuUar  that  we  should  speak  of 
Pani  Otocka  without  considering  her.  It  is  allowable  for 
your  mother  to  believe  that  every  woman,  if  you  would 
but  stretch  out  your  hand  towards  her,  would  grab  it  with 
alacrity;  but  not  for  you.  For  you  renounce  things  in 
such  a  way  as  if  everything  depended  upon  you,  and  I 
assure  you  that  it  is  not  so,  and  that  if  Pani  Otocka  should 
ever  decide  to  marry,  she  will  be  exceedingly  particular  in 
her  choice." 

"You  are  perfectly  right,"  answered  Krzycki,  "but  I 
am  not,  of  course,  so  foolish  or  so  vain  as  to  imagine  that 
the  whole  thing  depends  upon  me.  If  I  have  expressed 
myself  in  an  unsuitable  manner,  it  is  because  I  thought 
only  of  Mother  and  myself  and  not  at  all  of  Pani  Otocka. 
All  that  I  care  about  is  that  Mother  should  not  urge  me  to 
seek  her  hand,  as  I  conjecture  I  might,  after  all,  get  the 
mitten." 

Gronski  scanned  the  shapely  figure  of  the  youth  and 
answered  with  a  certain  benevolent  petulance: 

"That  is  well,  although  I  do  not  know  whether  you  are 
talking  sincerely ;  for  men  like  you,  the  deuce  knows  why, 
have  great  luck  with  women  and  they  know  it  perfectly 
well.  What  have  you  against  Pani  Otocka?  Why,  you 
hardly  know  her.  Let  me  tell  you  that  both  of  those  ladies 
are  of  such  high  quality  as  you  rarely  find." 

"I  believe  it,  I  believe  it;  but,  in  the  first  place,  Pani 
Otocka  is  fully  three  years  younger  than  myself,  which 
means  that  she  is  twenty-four,  and  yet  she  is  a  widow." 

"Then  you  have  a  prejudice  against  widows?" 

"I  confess  that  I  have.  Let  matrimony  give  me  every- 
thing that  it  can  possibly  give,  but  a  marriage  with  a 
widow  will  not  give  me  all  that.  A  widow !  —  To  think 
that  every  word  which  the  maiden  blushingly  and  with 


WHIRLPOOLS.  9 

palpitating  heart  whispers,  the  widow  has  already  told  to 
some  one  else :  and  that  which  in  a  maid  is,  as  it  were,  a 
sacrifice  to  love,  in  a  widow  is  but  a  repetition.  No,  I 
thank  you,  for  a  flower  which  somebody  else  has  previ- 
ously plucked.  Good  fortune  is  not  inherited  with  a 
heritage,  nor  procured  at  second  hand.  Let  not  only 
matrimony,  but  also  love,  give  me  all  they  can  give,  and, 
if  not,  then  I  prefer  remaining  an  old  bachelor." 

"My  dear,"  answered  Gronski,  "between  the  heart 
and  a  bag  of  money  there  is,  however,  a  vast  difference. 
Money,  after  you  once  part  with  it,  you  have  no  more, 
but  the  heart  is  a  living  organism  which  regenerates  and 
creates  new  forces." 

"That  may  be,  —  in  every  case,  however,  the  memory 
of  the  past  remains.  Finally,  I  am  not  enunciating  any 
general  theories,  but  merely  my  personal  views.  Plainly, 
I  could  not  love  a  widow  and  I  do  want  to  love  my  wife, 
even  though  slightly.  Otherwise  what  enjoyment  would 
I  have  in  life  ?  A  rural  estate  ?  Good !  I  am  an  agricul- 
turist and  I  agree  to  plough  and  sow  until  death.  But 
whoever  imagines  that  this  will  give  peace  and  happiness, 
simply  has  no  conception  of  the  load  of  care,  bitterness, 
affliction,  deception,  self  reproach,  and  strife  with  the  bad 
will  of  mankind  and  nature  which  one  must  endure. 
There  are,  it  is  true,  brighter  moments,  but  far  oftener  one 
must  defend  himself  against  downright  loathsomeness. 
Now  I  want  at  least  this :  that  I  shall  return  willingly  home 
from  the  field  or  bam ;  that  in  the  home  there  shall  await 
me  fresh,  rosy,  and  tempting  cheeks  which  I  crave  to  kiss, 
and  eyes  into  which  I  would  long  to  gaze.  I  want  to  have 
some  one  on  whom  I  can  bestow  all  that  is  best  in  me.  I 
speak  of  this,  not  as  one  who  is  infatuated  with  the  roman- 
tic, but  as  a  sober  man  who  can  keep  accounts  of  expendi- 
tures and  receipts,  not  only  in  husbandry  but  also  in  life." 

Gronski  thought  that  in  reality  every  matured  masculine 


10  WHIRLPOOLS. 

life  should  bear  two  faces;  one  with  wrinkled  brow,  ex- 
pressive of  intense  mental  strain,  turned  towards  the  prob- 
lems of  humanity,  and  the  other  calm  and  peaceable  at 
the  fireside  in  the  home. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "I  would  be  delighted  with  such  a 
home  as  a  refuge  from  care  and  in  it  *  fresh,  rosy  and  tempt- 
ing cheeks'  as  an  attraction." 

Ladislaus,  in  his  laughter,  displayed  his  sound,  shining 
teeth  and  answered  joyously: 

"Ah,  how  it  does  delight  me  !  the  soul  almost  squeaks." 

And  they  both  began  to  laugh. 

"But,"  said  Gronski,  "one  must  be  lucky  enough  to 
find  that  and  courageous  enough  to  win." 

To  Krzycki  there  suddenly  came  the  recollection  of  a 
certain  ball  in  Warsaw;  of  Panna  Rose  Stabrowska,  her 
pensive  eyes,  and  her  white,  half-childlike  shoulders  pro- 
truding from  the  net-lace  like  watery  foam.  He  therefore 
sighed  quietly. 

"Sometimes,"  he  said,  "courage  also  is  necessary  to 
bridle  one's  self." 

In  the  chamber  for  an  interval  could  be  heard  only  the 
measured  tick-tack  of  the  cumbrous  clock  and  the  wheez- 
ing of  the  asthmatic  servant,  who  dozed,  leaning  against 
the  sideboard. 

The  hour  was  late,  Gronski  rose  and,  having  roused 
himself  from  a  momentary  revery,  said,  as  if  speaking  to 
himself : 

"And  those  ladies  will  be  here  to-morrow." 

Afterwards  he  added  with  a  touch  of  sadness : 

"Ah,  at  your  age  it  is  not  permissible  to  bridle  one's 
self." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  11 


II 

The  ladies  did  actually  arrive  at  Jastrzeb  the  next  day 
about  noon,  followed  immediately  afterwards  by  Dol- 
hanski,  who  did  not,  however,  see  them  on  the  road,  be- 
cause at  the  station  he  became  occupied  entirely  with  the 
receipt  of  the  baggage  and  therefore  arrived  in  a  separate 
conveyance.  The  guests  did  not  find  Krzycki  at  home. 
As  the  burden  of  the  funeral,  and  all  cares  connected  with 
it,  fell  upon  him,  he  left  an  hour  earlier  for  Rzeslewo. 
The  obsequies  were  to  take  place  at  three  o'clock.  Ladis- 
laus'  mother  arrived  at  the  Rzeslewo  church  with  Pani 
Otocka,  Panna  Marynia,  and  their  friend  Miss  Anney. 
In  the  second  carriage  Gronski  and  Dolhanski  came, 
while  the  third  and  last  one  brought  the  younger  members 
of  the  Krzycki  family,  —  eleven-year-old  Anusia  and  Stas, 
who  was  a  year  younger,  together  with  their  French  in- 
structress and  the  tutor,  Laskowicz.  Pani  Krzycki  re- 
minded her  son  of  his  feminine  relatives  and  introduced 
him  to  Miss  Anney,  but  he  barely  had  time  to  bow  and 
cast  a  glance  at  her  when  he  was  summoned  away  on 
some  matter  relating  to  the  final  funeral  arrangements. 
Alighting  from  the  carriage,  the  ladies  could  scarcely  press 
their  way  into  the  church,  although  an  effort  was  made 
to  clear  a  path  for  them,  for  in  the  church  and  adjacent 
enclosure  an  unusual  throng  held  sway.  The  greater 
landed  gentry  were  represented  in  extremely  scant  num- 
bers, as  the  deceased  Zamowski  did  not  associate  with 
any  one,  and  besides  Jastrzeb,  Gorek,  and  Wiatrak,  did  not 
visit  any  of  the  manors  in  the  neighborhood.  In  their 
place,  the  Rzeslewo  peasantry  appeared  as  one  man,  with 


12  WHIRLPOOLS. 

their  wives  and  children.  The  reason  for  this  was  that  from 
some  unknown  source  and  for  some  inexplicable  reason,  a 
rumor  circulated  among  them  that  the  deceased  had  be- 
queathed to  them  his  entire  fortune.  Quite  a  number 
stood  outside  the  church  fence,  and  their  loud  voices  and 
anxious  faces  indicated  the  impression  which  the  rumor 
of  the  bequest  had  made  upon  them. 

After  chanted  vigils  and  a  sufficiently  long  mass,  white 
surpliced  priests,  preceded  by  a  cross,  appeared  at  the 
church  doorway.  After  them  the  coffin  was  borne.  The 
hearse  stood  ready  to  receive  the  remains,  but  peasants, 
in  implicit  faith  of  the  bequest,  lifted  it  upon  their  shoul- 
ders to  carry  to  the  cemetery,  which  was  a  verst  distant 
and  in  which  was  located  the  tomb  of  the  Zamowskis. 
Gronski  gave  his  arm  to  Pani  Krzycki,  Dolhanski  to  Pani 
Otocka,  while  the  duty  of  escorting  the  light-haired  Miss 
Anney  fell  to  Krzycki.  After  an  interval,  the  funeral 
cortege  slowly  proceeded  in  the  direction  of  the  cemetery. 

From  under  the  shade  of  church  lindens  it  soon  ad- 
vanced upon  the  field-road,  flooded  with  sunshine,  and 
extended  itself  in  a  long  line.  At  the  head  went  the  priests ; 
after  them  the  coffin,  swung  high  up  on  the  shoulders  of 
the  peasants;  the  relatives  and  guests  followed,  and  after 
them  came  swarms  of  gay  peasant  national  dresses  and 
feminine  handkerchiefs  gaudily  spotted  with  yellow  and 
red  colors,  which  glaringly  contrasted  with  the  j,Teen, 
sprouting  spring  corn.  Church  flags,  with  skulls  and  pic- 
tures of  saints,  floated  heavily  in  the  golden  air  and  at 
times  heaved  with  a  flap  when  assailed  by  the  wind.  In 
this  manner,  glistening  in  the  sun,  the  crowd  approached 
the  poplars  which  shaded  the  cemetery.  From  time  to 
time  the  chant  of  priests  resounded,  breaking  out  suddenly 
and  with  great  sadness.  Nearer  the  cemetery  the  peas- 
ants commenced  the  litany  and  gusts  of  wind  seized  these 
Polish  and  Latin  songs  and  carried  them  with  the  odor  of 


WHIRLPOOLS.  13 

candles,  which  were  continually  blown  out,  and  the  scent 
of  the  drippings  of  the  torches  to  the  forests. 

Krzycki,  who  escorted  Miss  Anney,  observed  that  her 
hand,  which  rested  upon  his  arm,  trembled  considerably. 
It  occurred  to  him  that  she  probably  had  tired  it, 
holding  her  parasol  on  the  road  from  Jastrzeb  to  Rzes- 
lewo,  and  he  paid  no  more  attention  to  it.  In  the  con- 
viction that  such  a  solemnity  as  a  funeral  exempted  him 
from  starting  the  usual  social  conversation,  he  walked  in 
silence.  He  was  fatigued  and  hungry.  Disordered 
thoughts  rushed  into  his  head.  He  thought  of  his  uncle, 
Zarnowski,  of  his  inability  to  mourn  for  him,  of  the  fu- 
neral, of  his  newly-arrived  cousins,  and  of  yesterday's 
conversation  with  Gronski.  At  times  he  would  gaze,  ab- 
stractedly, at  the  near  by  fields  and  half-consciously  would 
note  that  the  winter-corn  on  the  fertile  Rzeslewo  soil,  as 
well  as  the  spring  grain,  gave  promise  of  a  bountiful 
harvest.  After  a  certain  time  he  recollected  that  it  would 
be  proper  for  him  to  devote  a  little  more  attention  to  his 
companion. 

Somehow,  after  a  few  stealthy  glances,  his  curiosity, 
which  thus  far  had  been  deadened  by  fatigue,  hunger,  and 
ill-humor,  was  awakened.  The  proximity  of  a  woman, 
young  and,  as  he  observed,  stately,  began  to  affect 
him.  It  seemed  strange  to  him  in  the  first  place  that  he 
was  conducting  over  the  Rzeslewo  highway  an  English- 
woman, who  came,  the  Lord  knew  from  where;  that  a 
short  while  before  he  was  unacquainted  with  her  and  at 
present  felt  the  warmth  of  her  arm  and  hand.  He  ob- 
served also  that  her  hand,  tightly  incased  in  a  glove, 
though  shapely,  was  not  at  all  small ;  and  he  thought  that 
the  reasons  for  this  were  the  English  sports  —  tennis,  row- 
ing, archery,  and  the  like.  "Our  Polish  women,"  he 
thought,  "look  differently."  Under  the  influence  of  these 
reflections  upon  English  sports,  it  seemed  to  him  that 


14  WHIRLPOOLS. 

from  this  quaintly  attired  form  some  peculiar  power, 
healthiness,  and  energy  emanated.  His  companion  be- 
gan to  interest  him  more  and  more.  Leading  her  on  his 
arm,  he  could  see  only  her  profile,  upon  which  he  bestowed 
increased  attention.  As  a  consequence  of  more  exact  ob- 
servation, his  curiosity  intensified.  In  the  first  moments 
he  conceded  only  that  she  was  a  comely  and  buxom  per- 
son, but  later  he  soliloquized  in  this  fashion:  "How  vastly 
more  stately  and,  sincerely  speaking,  more  beautiful  she 
is  than  Pani  Otocka  or  that  child,  whose  dresses  reach  to 
her  ankles  and  whose  soul,  as  Gronski  says,  is  in  the  vio- 
lin ! "  But  this,  however,  was  not  the  strict  truth,  for  Pani 
Otocka,  a  slender  brunette  with  the  expression  of  a  blonde, 
was  of  a  type  more  exquisite  and  racial,  and  the  "child" 
had  a  countenance  simply  angelic.  But  at  that  particu- 
lar moment,  if  a  secret  ballot  had  been  taken  upon  this 
question,  Krzycki,  owing  perhaps  to  his  opposition  to  his 
mother's  designs,  would  have  cast  his  vote  for  Miss 
Anney. 

After  a  certain  time,  it  seemed  to  him  that  Miss  Anney 
also  was  casting  stealthy  glances  at  him.  He  determined 
to  catch  her  In  the  act  and  looked  at  her  more  openly. 
And  then  he  saw  something  which  astonished  him  in  the 
highest  degree.  On  the  cheeks  of  the  young  English- 
woman tear  after  tear  coursed.  Her  lips  were  compressed 
as  if  she  desired  to  stifle  her  impressions  and  her  hand, 
supported  on  his  arm,  did  not  cease  to  tremble. 

"Either  this  is  affected  sensibility,"  Krzycki  thought, 
"or  else  her  English  nerves  are  jangled.  Why  the  deuce 
should  she  weep  over  a  man  whom  she  never  saw  in  her 
life  ?  Unless  it  reminded  her  of  her  father's  burial  or  that 
of  some  near  relative  ?  " 

Miss  Anney  did  not  look  at  all  like  a  person  with  jangled 
nerves.  Somehow,  after  a  time,  her  emotion  passed.  She 
began  to  gaze  with  particular  interest  and  attention  upon 


WHIRLPOOLS.  15 

the  throng  of  people,  the  neighborhood,  the  fields,  and  the 
distant  fringe  of  the  forest  as  if  she  desired  to  retain  them 
all  permanently  in  her  memory. 

"She  should  have  taken  a  kodak  with  her,"  thought 
Ladislaus. 

They  were  already  not  far  from  the  cemetery  gates. 
But  in  the  meanwhile  a  wind  stronger  than  the  former 
gusts  broke  loose.  It  swept  suddenly  across  the  field  of 
sprouting  grain,  raised  a  cloud  of  dust  on  the  highway, 
snuflFed  out  the  mendicant  candles  which  were  not  ex- 
tinguished before,  and  entwined  Krzycki's  neck  with  Miss 
Anney's  long  boa. 

She  relinquished  his  arm  and,  freeing  him  from  his  ties, 
said  in  Polish  with  an  almost  imperceptible  foreign  accent: 

"I  beg  your  pardon.    The  wind  —  " 

"That  is  nothing,"  answered  Ladislaus.  "Perhaps 
you  would  prefer  to  take  a  carriage,  for  the  squalls  are 
breaking  out  more  frequently." 

"No,  thank  you,"  she  replied;  "I  believe  we  are  near 
the  cemetery.  I  will  walk  alone,  because  I  must  hold  my 
boa  and  dress." 

During  this  conversation  they  stood  opposite  each 
other  for  a  moment  and,  although  that  moment  was  brief, 
Ladislaus  made  a  new  discovery.  Not  only  did  he  con- 
firm his  previous  opinion  that  Miss  Anney  was,  in  reality, 
very  beautiful  and  had  an  extraordinarily  transparent 
complexion,  set  off  with  light  hair,  but  above  all  else  that 
her  blue  eyes  did  not  radiate  with  two  separate  beams,  but 
rather  with  a  single,  gentle,  blue,  slightly  misty,  soulful 
light.  He  was  unable  to  explain  to  himself  in  what  lay  the 
distinct  and  peculiar  charm  of  that  look,  but  he  felt  it 
perfectly. 

In  the  meantime,  they  reached  the  cemetery.  A  short 
prayer  detained  all  at  the  gates,  after  which  the  funeral 
cortege  moved  between  the  poplars,  swung  by  the  winds. 


16  WHIRLPOOLS. 

and  crosses  overgrown  by  luxuriant  grass  on  the  mounds, 
under  which  slept  the  Rzeslewo  peasantry.  The  Zar- 
nowski  tomb  stood  in  the  centre.  In  its  front  walls  could 
be  seen  an  opening,  knocked  out  for  the  reception  of  a  new 
member  of  the  family.  At  the  side  there  were  two  masons, 
with  whitened  aprons,  having  at  their  feet  prepared  cement 
and  a  pile  of  new  bricks.  The  coffin  was  placed  upon  the 
sand  near  the  opening  and  the  priests  began  a  long  chant 
over  it.  Their  voices  rose  and  then  fell,  like  waves,  in  a 
rolling  and  dreamy  rhythm,  which  was  accompanied  by 
the  roar  of  the  poplars,  the  flapping  of  the  flags  in  the  air, 
and  the  hum  of  prayers  uttered,  as  if  mechanically,  by 
the  peasants.  Then  the  parish-priest  of  Rzeslewo  began 
a  discourse.  As  he  did  not  live  on  good  terms  with  the 
deceased,  he  commended  his  soul  to  the  divine  mercy 
rather  than  praised  him.  About  could  be  seen  the  faces 
of  the  Zarnowski  relatives,  grave  and  appropriately  grouped 
for  the  occasion,  but  no  grief,  not  a  tear.  They  were 
rather  indifferent,  with  an  expression  of  expectancy,  and 
even  tedium.  The  coffin  appeared  to  be  only  awaiting  the 
close  of  the  rites,  as  if  it  was  anxious  to  enter  that  vault 
and  darkness,  for  which  it  was  appropriately  designed. 
In  the  meantime,  after  the  sermon,  songs  began  to  ring. 
At  moments  they  subsided,  and  then  could  be  heard  only 
the  revelry  of  wind  among  the  poplars.  At  last  a  high 
voice,  as  if  startled,  intoned  "requiem  aeternam"  and 
fell  suddenly  like  a  pillar  of  dust  twirled  by  the  storm; 
and  after  a  momentary  silence  "eternal  repose,"  full  of 
solace,  resounded  and  the  ceremony  was  over. 

On  the  coffin  they  threw  a  few  handfulls  of  sand,  and 
then  pushed  it  into  the  opening  which  the  masons  began 
to  wall  up,  laying  brick  upon  brick  and  coating  them 
with  mortar.  The  barrier,  which  was  to  forever  separate 
Zarnowski  from  the  world  and  light,  grew  with  each  mo- 
ment.   Groups  of  peasants  slowly  left  the  cemetery.    Two 


WHIRLPOOLS.  17 

female  neighbors  from  Gorek,  a  Pani  Wlocek,  an  old 
and  pathetic  dame,  and  her  daughter,  who  was  not  young, 
approached  Pani  Krzycki  and  felt  it  incumbent  upon 
them  to  offer  a  "few  words  of  consolation,"  which  nobody 
expected  and  which  were  absolutely  unnecessary.  Gronski 
began  to  converse  with  Ladislaus: 

"Observe,"  he  quietly  said,  looking  at  the  work  of  the 
masons,  "yet  a  few  more  bricks  and  then,  as  Dante  says, 
'Aeterna  silenza.'  No  sorrow,  not  a  tear;  no  one  will 
ever  come  here  expressly  for  him.  Something  similar 
awaits  me,  and  you  remember  that  thus  they  bury  old 
bachelors.  Your  mother  is  quite  right  in  wanting  to  have 
you  married." 

"To  tell  the  truth,"  answered  Krzycki,  "the  deceased 
was  not  only  an  old  bachelor,  but  also  was  unsocial.  But 
finally,  is  it  not  all  the  same?  " 

"After  death,  certainly.  But  during  life,  when  you 
think  of  it,  it  is  not  at  all  the  same.  This  *  lust  for  posthu- 
mous grief  may  be  illogical  and  foolish,  but  nevertheless 
it  exists." 

"Whence  does  it  come?" 

"From  an  equally  unwise  desire  to  outlive  self.  Look, 
the  work  is  finished  and  Zamowski  is  sealed  up.    Let  us 

go." 

At  the  gates  the  rattle  of  the  approaching  carriages  was 
heard.  The  party  moved  towards  the  exit.  The  ladies 
now  were  in  the  lead;  after  them  the  priests  and  guests 
walked,  with  the  exception  of  Dolhanski,  who  was  talking 
to  the  Englishwoman. 

Suddenly  Ladislaus  turned  to  Gronski  and  asked: 
"What  is  Miss  Anney's  Christian  name?" 
"While  we  are  in  the  cemetery  you  might  have  thought 
of  something  else.    Her  Christian  name  is  Agnes." 
"A  beautiful  name." 
"In  England  it  is  quite  common." 
2 


18  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"Is  she  rich?" 

"And  that  question  you  could  defer  to  another  time, 
but  if  you  are  in  a  hurry,  ask  Dolhanski.  He  knows  those 
things  best." 

"I  ask  you  because  I  see  him  with  her  and  hear  him 
chattering  in  Enghsh." 

"  Oh,  that  is  a  play  within  a  play !  He  is  after  Pani 
Otocka." 

"Ah!" 

"  Equally  as  old  as  it  is  fruitless.  For  it  is  yet  difficult  to 
ascertain  with  any  exactness  how  much  Miss  Anney  pos- 
sesses, while  the  amount  which  the  late  Director  Otocki 
left  his  wife  is  perfectly  known." 

"I  have  a  hope  that  my  beautiful  cousin  will  give  him 
the  mitten." 

"Which  would  increase  a  beautiful  collection.  But  tell 
me,  what  do  you  think  of  your  cousins?" 

"  Certainly  —  Pani  Otocka  —  certainly  —  both  have 
what  the  Oalicians  call  'something  ennobling.'  But 
Panna  Marynia  is  still  quite  a  child." 

Gronski  directed  his  eyes  at  the  slim  and  slender  figure 
walking  before  them  and  said: 

"That  is  a  child  who  could  as  well  fly  in  the  air  as  walk 
on  earth." 

"An  aeroplane  or  what?" 

"I  warn  you  that  she  is  the  object  of  my  highest  adora- 
tion." 

"So  I  have  heard.    It  is  already  known  to  all  men." 

"Only  they  do  not  know  that  that  adoration  is  not  of 
a  red  color,  but  heavenly  blue." 

"I  do  not  understand  that  very  well." 

"When  you  are  better  acquainted  with  her  you  will 
understand  me." 

Krzycki,  who  was  more  interested  in  Miss  Anney,  wanted 
to  turn  the  conversation  to  her,  but  they  passed  the  gates, 


WHIRLPOOLS.  19 

before  which  the  horses  waited.  The  young  man  pro- 
ceeded to  assist  the  ladies  to  their  seats,  in  which  operation 
he  saw  directed  towards  himself  for  a  moment  the  soulful 
eyes  of  the  Englishwoman.  Preparatory  to  her  departure, 
his  mother  asked  him  whether  he  had  finished  his  duties 
connected  with  the  funeral  and  whether  he  would  return 
immediately  to  Jastrzeb. 

"No,"  he  answered;  "I  have  made  an  arrangement  with 
the  parish-priest  that  he  should  permit  me  to  invite  the 
priests  to  the  rectory,  and  I  must  entertain  them  there. 
But  as  soon  as  I  greet  them  and  eat  something,  I  will 
excuse  myself  to  the  guests  and  return  as  soon  as  possible." 

Here  he  bowed  to  the  ladies,  after  which  he  removed  his 
hands  from  the  carriage,  cast  a  glance  at  the  chestnut 
thill-horse  to  see  if  he  did  not  overreach,  and  shouted : 

"Go  ahead!" 

The  carriage  trundled  over  the  road  on  which  the 
funeral  cortege  had  passed.  Of  the  participants  who  were 
dressed  in  surtouts,  besides  Ladislaus,  only  Dolhanski 
remained.  He  felt  that,  as  a  relative  of  the  deceased,  it  was 
also  his  duty  to  entertain  the  priests  who  officiated  at  the 
obsequies;  and  besides,  he  had  other  reasons  which 
induced  him  to  remain  in  Ladislaus'  company. 

They  had  barely  settled  in  the  britzska,  when  he  began 
to  look  around  among  the  peasants,  who  still  stood  here 
and  there  in  groups,  and  then  asked: 

"^Vhere  is  the  notary  Dzwonkowski  ? " 

Ladislaus  smiled  and  replied: 

"He  rode  ahead  with  the  priests,  but  to-night  you  will 
see  him  at  Jastrzeb,  for  he  invited  himself  there." 

"So;  then  I  regret  that  I  did  not  return  with  the  ladies. 
I  wanted  to  wring  from  him  some  information  regarding 
the  will,  and  I  thought  that  later  that  might  not  be 
possible." 

"Patience.    The  notary  told  me  that  the  will  is  to  be 


20  WHIRLPOOLS. 

opened  the  day  after  to-morrow  in  his  office  and  that  we 
will  have  to  drive  over  there  for  that  purpose." 

"But  I  wished  to  know  to-day  whether  it  will  be  worth 
while  for  me  to  wait  until  to-morrow  or  the  day  after.  If 
this  precious  uncle  of  ours  has  let  us  drift,  as  the  saying  is, 
upon  a  swift  current  of  water,  then  Pani  Wlocka  was  right 
in  offering  us  words  of  consolation.  I,  at  least,  will  need 
them  for  a  long  time." 

"How  can  you  talk  that  way?" 

"  I  am  saying  aloud  what  you  all  secretly  think.  I  am 
very  anxious  about  that  will.  I  care  more  for  Dzwonk- 
owski  at  the  present  moment  than  for  the  entire  terrestial 
globe  together  with  the  five  parts  of  the  world;  and  more 
particularly  since  I  have  seen  that  he  brought  a  bundle  of 
papers  with  him." 

"As  to  that  you  may  rest  at  ease.  He  is  the  greatest 
musico-maniac  that  I  have  ever  met.  He  worships  Panna 
Marynia,  with  whom  he  became  acquainted  at  Krynica. 
From  Gronski  I  have  learnt  that  in  the  moonlight  sonata, 
in  the  Benois  arrangement  for  the  violin,  he  arranged  the 
notes  for  the  flute  and  sent  them  to  her  in  Warsaw.  To- 
day he  wants  to  see  how  they  will  go.  Therefore  he 
invited  himself  to  Jastrzeb,  and  he  brought  with  him, 
besides  the  sonata,  a  bundle  of  other  notes.  I  assure  you 
that  he  will  not  want  to  talk  or  speak  of  anything  else." 

"In  that  case,  may  the  devils  carry  off  Dzwonkowski's 
flute,  Panna  Marynia's  violin,  your  Jastrzeb  piano,  and 
music  in  general." 

On  this  Ladislaus  looked  at  him  spitefully  and  said: 

"Be  careful  about  our  Jastrzeb  piano,  because  if  you 
hear  a  trio  to-night,  you  will  find  Pani  Otocka  at  the  piano." 

"I  have  a  hope  that  it  will  be,  at  least,  as  much  out  of 
tune  as  I  am  at  present  and,  in  that  case,  I  will  not  envy 
either  her  or  the  auditors.  But  I  see  that  Gronski  has 
filled  you  with  idle  gossip.     Good !    Unlike  him,  I  do  not 


WHIRLPOOLS.  21 

have  an  old  bachelor's  hankering  after  boarding-house 
misses  and  I  Hke  young  teals  only  on  a  platter.  Let  him 
feast  his  eyes  with  his  Marynia;  let  him  pray  to  her,  but 
let  him  leave  me  alone.  They  all  have  gone  crazy  on 
music  there,  and  are  ready  to  infect  you  in  Jastrzeb.  Only 
Miss  Anney  does  not  play  on  anything,  and  has  a  little 
sense." 

"Ah,  Miss  Anney  does  not  play  on  anything?" 

"Yes.  But  that  does  not  prevent  her  from  playing,  in  a 
certain  case,  upon  me  or  on  you,  but  much  more  easily 
upon  you  than  me." 

"Why  more  easily  upon  me?" 

"Because  I  am  that  particular  kind  of  instrument  that 
wants  to  know  in  advance  how  much  the  concert  will 
bring." 

Ladislaus,  accustomed  of  old  to  Dolhanski's  cynicism, 
shrugged  his  shoulders,  but  did  not  have  time  to  reply  as 
they  had  in  the  meantime  arrived  at  the  rectory. 


22  WHIRLPOOLS. 


Ill 

DoLHANSKi,  in  fact,  could  not  extract  from  the  notary, 
anything  but  testy  replies.  Immediately  after  his  recep- 
tion at  the  rectory  the  old  notary  became  very  garrulous, 
but  spoke  with  Ladislaus  only  about  Marynia,  for 
whom  he  had  an  unbounded  admiration.  At  present  he 
feared  that  Pani  Krzycki  might  not  consent  to  an  evening 
musicale  on  the  day  of  the  funeral  of  a  relative,  and  that 
fear  did  not  cease  to  disturb  him.  Under  this  impression 
he  began  to  demonstrate  that  music  may  as  well  be  asso- 
ciated with  death  as  with  life;  that  impressive  music 
always  attends  funerals,  and  that  as  mankind  has  not 
devised  anything  better  than  music,  not  even  for  the  wor- 
ship of  God,  therefore  it  may  be  taken  for  granted  that 
music  facilitates  the  flight  of  the  soul  to  heaven,  and  even 
salvation.  Ladislaus  bit  his  mustache  and,  without  quali- 
fication, concurred  in  this  reasoning,  knowing  that  the 
amiable  old  gentleman  was  wont  to  berate  his  opponents 
unmercifully.  With  this  kind  of  talk,  in  which,  to  Dol- 
hanski's  great  irritation,  there  was  no  mention  of  the  will, 
they  passed  their  time  on  the  way  to  Jastrzeb.  There 
they  were  served  with  tea.  As  the  wind  had  subsided 
entirely  before  the  setting  sun  and  the  evening  was  delight- 
ful, the  ladies,  with  Gronski,  were  in  the  garden.  When 
Ladislaus  and  his  companions  followed  them,  they  found 
Pani  Krzycki  and  Pani  Otocka  on  the  bank  of  the  pond, 
while  Miss  Anney  and  Marynia  were  in  a  boat  on  the  pond. 
A  ruddy  lustre  permeated  the  whole  air ;  the  scent  of  elders, 
which  grew  near  the  water's  edge,  blended  with  the  odor 
of  the  turf,  duck-weed,  and  fish.     The  water  was  dark 


WHIRLPOOLS.  23 

green  on  the  border  from  alders  and  willows  which  hemmed 
it  in,  but  in  the  centre,  on  the  overflow,  it  was  golden,  with 
reflections  of  purple  and  peacock  feathers.  The  boat 
floated  towards  the  point,  whose  narrow  girdle  from  the 
garden  side  served  as  a  landing-place.  Marynia  sat  in  the 
middle  of  the  boat,  but  Miss  Anney,  standing  at  the  stern, 
manipulated  it  with  a  single  oar,  propelling  and  at  the 
same  time  steering  with  uncommon  skill.  On  the  back- 
ground of  water  and  sky  she  loomed  up  from  head  to  foot 
with  strong  and  graceful  form,  her  rounded  bosom  moving 
in  unison  with  the  movements  of  the  oar.  At  moments 
she  ceased  to  paddle  and  when  the  boat,  gliding  each 
moment  more  slowly,  at  last  stood  still  upon  the  smooth 
water,  there  could  be  seen  in  the  mirrored  pellucidness 
another  boat,  another  Marynia,  and  another  Miss  Anney. 
In  this  picture  there  was  great  pastoral  calm.  The  lustre 
in  the  heavens  grew  ruddier  as  if  the  entire  western  world 
had  been  embraced  in  a  conflagration.  High  above  the 
pond,  under  the  flaming  cupola  of  heaven,  strings  of  wild 
ducks  appeared  as  if  tied  together  by  black  crosses. 

The  trees  stood  motionless  and  the  silence  was  broken 
only  by  the  sounds  of  the  windmill,  coming  from  the 
direction  of  the  dam. 

After  a  while  Miss  Anney  touched  shore.  Gronski,  who 
was  anxious  that  his  "adoration"  should  not  wet  her  feet, 
hastened  to  assist  her  out  of  the  boat,  while  the  English- 
woman leaped  unassisted  upon  the  sand  and,  approaching 
the  company,  said: 

"How  charming  it  is  here  in  Jastrzeb ! " 

"Because  the  weather  is  fine,"  said  Ladislaus,  drawing 
nearer.  "Yesterday  it  was  cloudy,  but  to-night  it  is 
beautiful." 

And  having  scanned  the  heavens,  he,  like  a  true  husband- 
man, added: 

"If  it  will  continue  thus,  we  will  start  mowing  the  hay." 


24  WHIRLPOOLS. 

And  Miss  Anney  gazed  at  him,  as  if  she  discovered  some- 
thing unusual  in  the  sounds  of  those  words,  and  began  to 
repeat  them  in  the  same  fashion  that  one  repeats  words 
which  he  desires  to  firmly  implant  in  the  memory. 

"The  hay  — the  hay." 

The  party  turned  towards  the  house,  which  was  being 
bleached,  or  rather  rouged,  amidst  the  lime-trees,  con- 
versing a  little  about  the  funeral  and  the  late  Zamowski, 
but  more  about  the  village,  the  spring  evening,  and  music. 
Pani  Krzycki  assured  the  newly-arrived  ladies  that  in 
Jastrzeb  before  their  arrival  music  was  not  wanting,  as 
there  were  so  many  nightingales  in  the  park  that  at  times 
they  would  not  let  any  one  sleep.  At  this  Gronski,  who 
was  a  man  of  great  erudition,  began  to  discourse  upon  coun- 
try life ;  that,  in  truth,  it  was,  from  time  immemorial,  con- 
sidered the  only  real  and  normal  life.  He  mentioned  inci- 
dentally the  Homeric  Kings,  "  who  rejoiced  in  their  hearts, 
counting  sheaves  with  the  sceptre,"  and  various  Roman 
poets.  In  conclusion  he  announced,  as  his  opinion,  that 
socialism  will  shatter  to  pieces  upon  agriculture  and  the 
soil,  because  it  considers  them  only  as  a  value,  while  they 
are  also  an  affection,  or,  in  other  words,  not  only  is  a  price 
placed  upon  them,  but  they  are  also  loved.  Men  know 
what  cares  are  coupled  with  country  life,  but  in  truth  it  is 
the  only  life  they  prize,  as  if  in  it  "  even  bird's  milk  was 
not  lacking."  ^ 

To  Pani  Krzycki,  who,  next  to  her  children,  loved,  above 
everything  else  in  the  world,  Jastrzeb,  the  words  of  Gronski 
appealed  very  convincingly,  but  Dolhanski,  recalling  a 
village  he  once  owned  and  squandered,  replied,  drawling 
his  words  as  usual: 

"Bird's  milk  may  not  be  lacking,  but  money  is  lacking. 

*  "Even  bird's  milk  is  not  lacking,"  a  Polish  proverbial  ex- 
pression signifying  "abundance,"  "living  in  clover." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  25 

Besides,  it  is  amusing  to  hear  these  eulogies  upon  country 
life  pronounced  by  a  rich  man  who  could  buy  for  himself 
a  tract  of  land  and  settle  in  the  country,  but  whom  it  is 
necessary  to  pull  out  of  the  city  with  hooks."  Then  ad- 
dressing Gronski: 

"Apropos  of  your  Homeric  Kings,  and  with  them  your 
Virgils  and  Horaces,  why,  in  their  days  there  certainly 
were  not  such  hotels  on  the  Riviera  and  such  clubs  in  Nice 
as  at  present." 

But  this  observation  was  passed  in  silence,  or  rather  it 
was  interrupted  by  a  musical  passage  intoned  to  Marynia 
in  an  old  wooden  voice  by  the  notary  who  wanted  in  this 
manner  to  illustrate  the  junction  of  two  phrases  in  Bruch's 
concerto.  Afteru-ards  various  other  phrases  incessantly 
resounded  until  the  party  returned  to  the  house.  Gronski 
knew  the  mania  of  the  old  man  and  envied  him  for  having 
found  something  in  life  which  filled  it  out  so  completely 
for  him.  He  was  a  highly  educated  dilettante,  but  had 
settled  upon  nothing  permanently  in  life  and  did  not 
consecrate  all  his  spiritual  powers  to  anything  exclusively. 
This  was  partly  due  to  his  environment,  and  partly  to  his 
own  fault.  The  profoundest  essence  of  his  soul  was  a  sad 
scepticism.  One  of  his  friends,  Kloczewski,  called  him 
"an  ecclesiastic  in  a  dress-suit."  Somehow,  the  final 
result  of  Gronski's  meditation  upon  the  future  and  human 
life,  individual  as  well  as  collective,  was  the  conviction  that 
the  future  and  the  human  life  may,  with  time,  become 
different,  but  never  better.  So  he  thought  that  it  might 
be  worth  while  not  to  spare  efforts  to  make  them  some- 
time better,  but  it  would  not  be  worth  while  that  they 
should  be  different  only.  This  thought  protected  him,  how- 
ever, from  the  bordering  pessimism,  as  he  understood  that 
the  measure  of  happiness  and  misfortune  rested  not  on  the 
external,  but  in  the  man  himself,  and  that  as  long  as  other- 
wise did  not  mean  better,   then  by  the  same  reasoning 


26  WHIRLPOOLS. 

it  did  not  also  mean  worse.  At  bottom  he  was  persuaded 
that  the  one  and  the  other  were  only  a  mistake  and  a  de- 
lusion, and  that  everything,  not  excluding  life,  was  one 
great  vanity.  In  this  manner,  he  revered,  across  the  sea  of 
ages,  the  true  Ecclesia. 

But,  being  at  the  same  time  a  man  of  sentiment,  he 
fell  in  a  continual  clash  with  himself,  his  sentiment  always 
craving  for  something,  while  his  sad  scepticism  iterated 
that  it  was  not  worth  while  to  desire  anything.  His  feel- 
ings were  preyed  upon  by  the  thought  that  his  views  were 
in  conflict  with  life,  while  life  was  an  imperative  necessity. 
Therefore,  whoever  with  doubts  corroded  its  roots  injured 
humanity,  and  Gronski  did  not  desire  to  injure  anybody, 
much  less  his  own  people.  For  this  reason  the  ecclesiastic, 
contending  that  all  was  vanity,  wrangled  within  him, 
with  the  patriot  who  said,  for  instance,  that  national  suf- 
fering was  not  in  vain.  But  this  state  of  affairs  bred 
within  him  such  incessant  discord  that  he  envied  men  of 
action  who  journey  through  life  without  any  whys  or 
wherefores,  as  well  as  people  who  absolutely  succumb  to 
one  great  feeling. 

For  the  old  notary  and  Marynia,  such  a  great  feeling 
was  music ;  so  that  as  often  as  Gronski  saw  them  together, 
so  often  did  he  have  before  his  eyes  a  living  example  that 
things  do  exist  with  which  one  can  fill  out  his  life  from 
dawn  until  the  last  moments,  —  if  only  one  does  not  sub- 
ject them  to  a  too  close  analysis. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  27 


IV 

At  the  supper  the  aged  notary  was  occupied  solely  with 
music  and  Marynia.  To  the  others,  with  the  exception  of 
the  lady  of  the  house,  upon  whom  permission  for  the 
concert  depended,  he  replied  irascibly;  especially  to 
Dolhanski,  who  several  times  tried  to  elicit  from  him  some 
information  about  the  will.  His  angry  and  apoplectic 
face  cleared  up  only  after  Pani  Krzycki  announced  that 
she  would  have  no  objections  to  devoting  the  remainder  of 
the  evening  to  decorous  music,  and  that  she  herself  would 
be  glad  to  listen  to  Marynia,  whom  she  had  not  heard  since 
the  last  charitable  concert  in  Krynica, 

Towards  the  close  of  the  supper  the  old  gentleman  again 
began  to  get  impatient,  remarking  that  it  was  a  pity  to 
waste  time  in  eating,  and  discussing  even  music,  if  light 
and  frivolous,  with  profane  individuals  who  had  no  con- 
ception of  the  real  art.  He  became  more  interested  after 
listening  to  the  reasonings  of  Gronski,  who  began  to  talk 
about  the  origin  of  music  and  refute  the  Darwinian  theory 
that  songs  and  the  sounds  of  the  primitive  string  instru- 
ments arose  in  some  misty  era  of  the  human  race  from  the 
amorous  declarations  and  calls  of  men  and  women  in  the 
forests.  Gronski  shared  the  opinion  of  those  who  against 
these  views  cited  the  fact  that  among  the  most  savage 
tribes  no  traces  of  love-songs  exist,  but  in  their  place  are 
found  war-songs  and  martial  music.  The  theory  of  calling 
through  the  forests  appeared  to  the  ladies  more  poetical. 
Gronski  placated  them  with  the  statement  that  this  did 
not  lessen  the  civilizing  importance  of  music,  that  it,  with 


28  WHIRLPOOLS. 

the  dance,  was  one  of  the  first  factors  which  promoted 
among  the  scattered  tribes  of  men  a  certain  organization. 

"The  Papuans,"  he  said,  "who  gather  together  for  the 
performance  of  a  war  or  ceremonial  dance  in  accordance 
with  the  rhythm  of  even  their  wildest  music,  by  that  act 
alone  submit  to  something,  introduce  some  kind  of  order, 
and  form  the  first  social  ties." 

"That  means,"  observed  Dolhanski,  "that  every  nation 
owes  its  origin  to  some  primitive  'high-diddle-diddle,  the 
cat  and  the  fiddle.'" 

"Of  course  it  is  so,"  angrily  answered  the  old  notary. 

Afterwards  turning  to  Gronski,  he  said:  "Please  pro- 
ceed.   We  can  at  least  learn  something." 

"Yes,  please  proceed,"  repeated  Marynia. 

So  Gronski  began  further  to  speak  of  the  history  of 
music ;  how  through  the  entire  course  of  ages  it  served  war, 
ceremonies  of  state,  as  well  as  religious  and  secular,  and 
how  considerably  later  it  outspread  its  own  wings,  on 
which  it  soars  as  at  present,  like  an  eagle,  over  the  entire 
human  race. 

"A  strange  art,"  he  concluded;  "the  most  primitive; 
yet  to-day  resting  more  than  any  other  upon  science;  the 
most  precisely  confined  within  certain  technical  require- 
ments, as  if  bound  by  dams  and  dykes ;  yet  the  most  illim- 
itable, the  most  mystical;  overflowing  the  borders  of 
existence  and  life.  Perhaps  this  gives  it  such  incompre- 
hensible power  over  the  human  soul;  speaking  the  least 
expressive  of  tongues  and  at  the  same  time  the  most 
idealistic.  It  is  the  most  powerful  spur  to  action.  Yes, 
to  the  Polish  regiments  in  the  battle  of  Gravelotte  the 
Prussian  bands  played  'Poland  is  not  yet  lost,'  and 
everywhere  you  may  behold  the  same.  Play  to  the  French- 
men the  'Marseillaise,'  the  Germans  'Wacht  am  Rhein,' 
how  their  hands  begin  to  quiver !  Even  the  eyes  of  phleg- 
matic Englishmen  and  Americans  sparkle  when  they  hear 


WHIRLPOOLS.  29 

'Rule  Britania'  or  'Yankee  Doodle.'  Strange  art!  — 
the  most  cosmopolitan  and  at  the  same  time  the  most 
national,  —  universal  and  individual." 

"One  thing  you  did  not  say  and  that  is  that  of  all  arts  it 
is  the  purest,"  added  Pani  Otocka. 

"Attempts  have  been  made  to  illegitimatize  it,"  an- 
swered Gronski,  "but  licentiousness  never  can  be  rhyth- 
mical nor  harmonical,  and  for  that  reason  from  these 
attempts  there  was  born  an  antichrist  of  music." 

But  Ladislaus,  who  was  a  trifle  bored  and  would  have 
preferred  to  talk  with  the  light-haired  Miss  Anney,  spoke 
out  with  the  evident  desire  to  close  the  discussion. 

"Yes,  it  is  plain  that  not  only  every  nation  but  every 
man  has  his  own  music.  I,  for  instance,  am  always  willing 
to  hear  a  concert  or  an  opera,  but  I  admit,  that  when 
sometimes  the  boys  and  girls  at  work  in  the  field  sing 
until  the  pitchforks  and  harrows  ring,  that  is  the  only 
music  for  me." 

"Slavonian,  Lechite,  Piast  —  come  to  my  arms," 
drawled  Dolhanski. 

Ladislaus  blushed  a  little  from  fear  that  the  young 
Englishwoman  and  his  refined  female  relatives  might 
judge  him  too  rustical,  but  they  glanced  at  him  with  a 
certain  sympathy.  Only  the  beard  of  the  old  classical 
notary  drooped  with  his  nose  in  a  manner  boding  no  good, 
and  from  his  lips  he  mumbled  a  half-distinct  grumble : 

"To  some  folks  it  is  sufiicient,  when  anything  jingles 
in  their  ears." 

But  recollecting  that  it  would  not  be  agreeable  to  Pani 
Krzycki  if  caustic  remarks  were  directed  against  her  son, 
he  cast  an  uneasy  look  at  her  and  became  silent. 

The  supper  was  finished.  The  company  went  to  the 
salon  in  which  prevailed  coolness  and  the  slight  scent  of 
jasmine  blown  in  from  the  garden  by  the  light  evening 
breezes  before  the  windows  were  closed.     In  the  glass 


30  WHIRLPOOLS. 

doors  appeared  the  big  full  moon,  which  but  recently 
arose  slowly  in  the  heaven,  still  ruddy  after  a  bath  in  the 
evening  twilight.  Pani  Otocka  sat  at  the  piano;  beside 
her  the  notary  began  to  blow,  as  if  with  anger,  into  the 
flute;  while  behind  them  stood  Marynia  with  a  violin  at 
her  shoulder.  Gronski  with  rapture  gazed  at  her  luxuri- 
ant dark  hair;  her  peaceful,  arched  eyebrows  under  a 
forehead  plainly  immaculate;  her  small  countenance; 
her  slender,  growing,  childlike  form,  and  thought  that  this 
sight  alone  would  suffice  for  music,  or  at  least  that  such  a 
violinist  might  pass  for  its  incarnation  and  symbol.  Lad- 
islaus,  although  he  had  previously  enlisted  in  the  ranks 
of  the  English  faction,  could  not  remove  his  eyes  from  her. 
After  completing  his  university  education,  he  had  accom- 
panied his  mother  on  a  journey  to  Italy.  He  visited  vari- 
ous galleries  and,  though  he  lacked  solid  artistic  culture, 
nevertheless  the  thought  crossed  his  mind  that  this  maiden 
with  the  bright  and  peaceful  countenance,  bending  over 
the  violin,  might  have  served  the  old  masters  as  a  model 
for  Saint  Cecilia  or  for  one  of  those  angelic  violin-players 
which  he  had  seen  in  the  paintings  of  Fra  Angelico. 

The  other  listeners,  like  Pani  Krzycki,  her  children,  the 
instructress,  and  Miss  Anney,  gazed  at  her  as  if  at  a  mira- 
cle-working image.  Only  one,  Laskowicz,  young  Stas' 
tutor,  did  not  share  in  the  general  rapture.  He  was  a 
medical  student  who,  owing  to  the  closing  of  the  uni- 
versity, was  earning  money  by  teaching  for  the  further 
pursuit  of  his  studies,  and  he  found  himself,  together 
with  his  inexorable  hatred  for  the  "pampered"  of  this 
world,  like  Pilate  in  Credo,  in  this  country  home.  His 
convictions  by  this  time  were  not  a  secret  to  anybody  in 
Jastrzeb;  he  was  tolerated,  however,  with  that  improvi- 
dent indulgence  of  which  the  Polish  nobility  is  only  cap- 
able, upon  the  principle  that  "the  greatest  radical  must 
eat,"  and  also  in  the  hope  that  Stas  was  yet  too  young  to 
be  infected  with  the  "evil  spirit"  by  his  tutor. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  31 

To  Laskowicz,  when  he  looked  at  the  gentle  young 
lady,  it  seemed  that  she  was  a  flower  which  grew  higher 
than  the  hands  of  a  proletaire  could  reach;  therefore  she 
was  bred  to  the  injury  of  the  proletariat.  This  was  suffi- 
cient for  him  to  look  on  both  sides  with  reluctance  and  a 
readiness  to  hate. 

But,  in  the  meanwhile,  the  moment  for  beginning  the 
concert  had  arrived.  For  some  time  Marynia  had  been 
drawing  the  bow  over  the  chords,  turning  the  ringlets  of 
the  violin,  and  passing  her  fingers  over  the  notes,  indicat- 
ing something  to  her  sister  and  the  notary;  afterwards 
silence  ensued,  interrupted  only  by  the  indistinct  talk  of 
the  servants,  assembled  beyond  the  windows,  who  for  the 
first  time  in  their  lives  were  to  hear  the  young  lady  play  on 
the  violin. 


32  WHIRLPOOLS. 


V 

The  first  chords  of  the  moonlight  sonata  are  sounded  and 
a  vision  begins.  Lo !  a  pale  ray  creeps  stealthily  through  a 
crevice  and  touches  the  forehead  of  a  sleeper,  as  if  it 
wanted  to  arouse  thought;  afterwards  the  lips,  as  if  it 
wished  to  waken  words,  and  later  the  bosom,  as  if  it  de- 
sired to  stir  the  heart.  But  the  weary  body  slumbered  in 
a  heavy  sleep.  In  its  place  the  soul  emerges  from  its  em- 
brace, like  a  butterfly  from  a  cocoon,  and  flies  into  space. 
The  night  is  bright  and  silent.  Below,  alders  are  dimly 
wrapped  in  muslin  mists.  On  the  sylvan  meadows  nymphs 
dance  their  rites,  accompanied  by  the  playing  of  a  faun 
on  a  flute.  About,  stand  with  flaming  azure  eyes,  stags, 
crowned  with  antlers.  On  the  heath,  glow-worms  glim- 
mer; on  the  moss,  phosphorate  toadstools,  under  whose 
canopies  tiny  elfs  watch  the  gambols.  From  the  decaying 
vegetation  and  fens  rise  Jack-o'-lanterns  which  flit  about 
lightly  and  mysteriously,  as  if  seeking  something  in  vain. 
The  moon  ascends  each  moment  higher  and  higher,  and 
bounteous  dew  falls. 

Over  the  vast  fields  rivers  wind  in  silvery  ribbons  and 
tracks  of  the  roadways  can  be  seen  leading  to  towns  and 
castles.  Through  the  narrow  Gothic  windows  the  moon's 
lustre  invades  silent  castle-halls,  where  lurk  the  ghosts  of 
dead  knights  and  maidens.  At  the  feet  of  the  castles,  cities 
slumber.  In  the  calm  light  the  roofs  of  houses  whiten 
and  crosses  on  the  towers  glitter.  From  the  blossoming 
orchards,  with  the  vapors  rises  the  fragrance  of  flowers 
and  grass.  But  lighter  than  the  fragrance  and  the  moon- 
light the  winged  soul  soars  higher  and  farther.    The  lowly 


WHIRLPOOLS.  33 

habitations  of  men  vanish;  hkewise  vanish  the  forests, 
vales,  sparkHng  shields  of  ponds,  and  the  white  threads 
of  streams.    Gradually  lofty  regions  are  attained. 

And  lo,  the  mountains !  Amidst  the  crags  sleeps  the 
translucent  buckler  of  the  lake.  In  the  chasms  lies  con- 
cealed cool  dusk.  The  needles  of  the  glaciers  shine  ver- 
dantly. On  the  declivities  and  rocky  nests  rest  the  weary 
clouds  and  mists;  and  on  the  peaks,  on  the  eternal  snow 
the  moonlight  reposes.  Even  the  wind  has  fallen  asleep. 
How  still,  ethereal,  and  immense !  Here  the  moon  is  the 
only  sentinel  of  silence  and  the  human  soul  the  only  living 
entity.  Free  as  a  mountain  eagle,  detached  from  the  flesh, 
enamoured  with  the  expanse,  desolation,  and  silence,  happy, 
and  sad  with  a  supernal  sorrow,  dissolved  in  the  stillness, 
she  hovers  and  courses  above  the  precipices;  and  again 
flies  farther  on,  entirely  abandoned  to  pleasure,  flight,  and 
speed. 

And  the  mountains  have  already  disappeared  beneath 
her  and  lo !  some  voices  rise  and  reach  from  below  as  if 
summoning  her  to  them.  It  is  the  sea.  It,  alone,  never 
sleeps ;  restless  and  vast,  it  dashes  wave  after  wave  against 
the  shore,  as  if  it  were  an  immense  pulsation  of  life.  Its 
monstrous  lungs  heave  and  fall  eternally  and  at  times 
groan  in  complaint  of  endless  toil. 

The  ruffled  expanse  of  the  sea  throbs  with  the  opa- 
lescent lunar  lustre  and  the  silvery  laces  of  stars,  and  on 
those  illuminated  tracks,  in  the  distance  appears,  wakeful 
as  the  sea  itself,  a  ship  with  sails  and  a  sanguinary  light 
in  the  rounded  windows. 

But  thou,  oh  soul,  mountest  higher  and  higher.  Al- 
ready the  earth  is  left  somewhere  at  the  bottom  of  the 
abyss.     Thou,  light  as  down,  dost  pass  feathery  clouds, 

3 


34  WHIRLPOOLS. 

which  have  strayed  upon  the  heights  and  dost  pierce  space 
flooded  with  splendor  —  empty  and  cool.  There  thou  liest 
upon  thine  own  wings  and  floatest  about  in  luminous 
nothingness ;  higher  and  higher ;  and  now  doth  scintillate 
and  change  color  over  thee,  in  gold  and  purple,  the  jewels 
of  heaven,  and  thou  dost  frolic  and  swing  in  the  unattain- 
able ether,  serene,  freed  from  the  dross  of  matter  as  if,  be- 
yond the  limits  of  time  and  space,  thou  wert  already 
partly  admitted  into  heaven. 

The  firmament  of  heaven  grows  each  moment  darker, 
but  the  moon,  great  as  the  world,  shines  more  and  more 
brightly.  Already  we  behold  her  glistening  plains,  mangled, 
wild,  studded  by  mountain  peaks,  perforated  with  the 
blackness  of  craters,  bleak,  frosty,  and  lifeless.  Thus  in 
the  abyss  of  space  appears  this  silvery,  corpse-like  wan- 
derer, who  speeds  around  the  earth  as  if  condemned  by  a 
divine  command  to  a  perpetual  race.  Above  and  about  her, 
an  immensity  which  the  swooning  brain  is  incapable  of 
comprehending.  A  new  galaxy  of  stars  twinkle  sanguin- 
arily and  powerfully,  like  distant  fire-places.  The  music 
of  spheres  is  heard.  Here  Eternity  fans  with  her  breath 
and  a  supernal  chill  prevails. 

Return,  over-indulged  swan,  return,  oh  soul,  before 
some  occult  rapids  and  whirlpools  seize  thee  and  tear  thee 
forever  from  the  earth. 

Thou  retumest  from  the  pinnacle  of  all-existence, 
bathed  in  the  waves  of  infinity,  purer  and  more  perfect. 
Lo,  thou  furlest  thy  wings !  Look,  in  the  depths  beneath 
are  those  downy,  light  clouds,  which  now  thou  greetest  as 
thine  own  and  kin.  Below,  the  earth.  The  protuber- 
ances of  the  mountains  flash  to  the  moon;  at  their  feet 
sobs  the  sea.    And  now  lower,  the  vague  outlines  of  forests, 


WHIRLPOOLS.  35 

enveloped  in  mist.  Again  whiten  the  cities,  silent  towers 
and  roofs  of  villages  sunk  in  sleep.  The  night  grows  pale. 
On  the  moors,  ostlers  build  fires  and  play  on  fifes.  The 
roosters  crow.    The  day  breaks.    It  is  dawn. 

The  strains  subsided  and  silence  ensued.  Marynia 
stood  near  the  piano  with  a  countenance,  composed  as 
usual,  but  seemingly,  awakened  from  a  dream. 

The  aged  notary  sat  for  a  while  with  bowed  head, 
moving  his  toothless  jaws;  afterwards  he  rose,  and  when 
the  young  maid  placed  the  violin  beside  the  key-board,  he 
ardently  kissed  her  hands;  after  which  he  threw  a  chal- 
lenging look  at  those  present  as  if  he  sought  the  person 
who  would  dare  to  protest  against  that  mark  of  homage 
or  deem  it  a  superfluous  act.  Nobody,  however,  protested 
because  under  the  enchantment  of  that  music  that  hap- 
pened with  the  listeners  which  always  happens  with  man- 
kind, when  fanned  by  the  breath  of  genius.  As  sometimes 
in  a  dream  it  seems  to  a  person  that  having  shoved  himself 
off  the  earth  with  his  feet,  he  afterwards  reels  a  long  time 
in  the  air,  so,  too,  their  bodies  became  lighter,  less  material, 
as  if  deprived  of  those  heavy  and  gross  elements  which 
bound  them  to  the  earth.  Their  nerves  became  more  sus- 
ceptible and  subtle  and  their  souls  more  volatile,  ap- 
proaching more  closely  those  boundaries  on  which  eternity 
begins.  It  was  an  unconscious  feeling;  after  the  passage 
of  which  the  daily  life  was  to  encompass  and  drag  them 
down.  But  during  this  momentary  exaltation  there  awak- 
ened within  them,  unknown  to  themselves,  a  power  of 
apprehending,  appreciating,  and  feeling  beauty,  and  in 
general  such  things  as  in  their  customary  moods  they  had 
not  felt  and  did  not  know  that  they  could  have  felt. 

Even  the  young  and  unfledged  physician,  Laskowicz, 
notwithstanding  all  his  prejudices,  could  not  resist  this 
influence.    The  moment  when  Marynia  stood  up  to  play, 


36  WHIRLPOOLS. 

he  began  to  scrutinize  her  from  his  dark  comer  in  the 
salon  and  examine  her  form  as  an  anatomist.  He  was 
conscious  that  there  was  something  brutal  in  this,  but  such 
a  viewpoint  gave  him  satisfaction,  as  being  proper  for  an 
investigator  and  a  man  of  his  convictions.  He  started  to 
persuade  himself  that  this  young  lady  of  the  so  called 
higher  spheres  was  for  him  merely  an  object  which  one 
should  examine  in  the  same  manner  as  a  corpse  on  the 
dissecting-table  is  examined.  So,  when  tuning  her  violin, 
she  bent  her  head,  he  took  a  mental  inventory  of  the  Latin 
names  of  all  her  cranial  bones,  repelling  the  thought  which, 
against  his  will,  rushed  to  his  head  that  this  was,  however, 
an  extraordinarily  noble  skull.  Afterwards,  during  the 
first  moments  after  the  beginning  of  the  concert,  he  be- 
came occupied  with  the  nomenclature  of  the  muscles  of 
Ler  hands,  arms,  breast,  limbs,  outlined  under  her  dress 
hind  whole  figure.  But  as  he  was  not  only  a  medical  stu- 
dent and  a  socialist,  but  also  a  young  man,  this  anatomical 
review  ended  in  the  conclusion  that  this  was  a  girl,  not  yet 
sufficiently  developed,  but  exceedingly  pretty  and  attrac- 
tive, resembling  a  spring  flower.  From  that  moment  he 
began,  to  a  certain  extent,  to  forgive  her  connection  with 
spheres  living  "from  the  wrongs  of  the  proletariat,"  and 
could  not  get  rid  of  the  thought  that  if,  as  a  result  of 
some  unheard-of  social  upheaval,  such  "a  saintly  doll" 
became  dependent  upon  his  favor  or  disfavor,  then  such 
a  state  of  affairs  would  bring  to  him  an  indescribably  coy 
delight. 

But  when  Beethoven  placed  his  hands  upon  his  head, 
there  awakened  within  him  better  and  higher  instincts. 
He  saw  during  the  performance  the  lips  and  eyebrows  of 
the  young  lady  contract,  and  began  to  concede  that  "she, 
however,  felt  something."  In  consequence  of  this,  his  ill- 
will  towards  her  began  to  melt  away,  although  slowly  and 
with  difficulty.    He  half  confirmed,  half  conjectured  that 


WHIRLPOOLS.  37 

not  only  the  hands  but  also  the  soul  played.  He  did  not 
have  sufficient  culture  for  music  to  appeal  to  him  as  it 
did,  for  instance,  to  Gronski,  nevertheless  there  awakened 
within  him  a  certain  dismal  consciousness  that  this  was 
something,  like  the  air,  which  all  breasts  can  breathe,  re- 
gardless of  whether  they  love  or  hate.  Amazement  seized 
him  at  the  thought  that  there  were  things  lying  beyond 
the  swarm  of  human  passions.  At  the  conclusion  he  so 
identified  music  with  the  figure  of  the  playing  girl  that 
when  the  old  notary,  at  the  end  of  the  concert,  kissed  her 
hands,  he  almost  felt  inclined  to  do  the  same. 

In  the  meanwhile,  Ladislaus  said  to  Miss  Anney: 

"As  long  as  Jastrzeb  has  been  Jastrzeb,  never  yet  has 
such  music  been  heard.  I  am  not  a  connoisseur,  but  must 
admit  that  this  has  captivated  me.  Besides,  though  I  am 
often  in  the  city,  it  has  always  so  happened  that  I  never 
have  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  a  woman  play  on  the 
violin.  And  this  is  so  beautiful  that  I  now  have  an  impres- 
sion that  only  women  should  play  the  violin." 

"One  gets  such  an  impression  when  he  hears  Marynia 
play." 

"Assuredly.  I  even  begin  to  understand  Pan  Gronski. 
You,  of  course,  know  that  she  is  his  adoration  ?  " 

"The  greatest  in  the  world.  And  mine  and  everybody's 
who  knows  her,  —  and  soon  she  will  be  yours." 

"I  do  not  deny  that  she  will  be,  only  I  doubt  whether 
she  will  be  the  greatest." 

A  temporary  pause  in  the  conversation  followed,  after 
which  Ladislaus,  not  desiring  that  Miss  Anney  should 
take  his  words  as  an  untimely  compliment,  added: 

"In  any  event,  I  owe  her  gratitude  for  music  which  is 
slightly  different  from  that  which  we  hear  every  evening 
in  spring  and  summer." 

"What  kind  of  music  is  that?" 

"From  dusk  to  moon- rise  the  orchestra  of  frogs,  and 


38  WHIRLPOOLS. 

afterwards  the  concert  of  nightingales,  which,  after  all,  I 
do  not  hear,  as,  after  daily  toil,  I  am  sound  asleep.  The 
frog  band  has  already  commenced.  This  also  has  its 
charm.  If  you  care  to  hear  it,  let  us  go  out  upon  the 
veranda.    The  night  is  almost  as  warm  as  in  summer." 

Miss  Anney  rose  and  together  they  went  on  the  veranda, 
which  the  servants,  who  listened  under  the  windows  to 
Marynia's  performance,  had  already  left,  and  only  in  the 
distance  the  blooming  jasmines,  shaded  by  the  dusk, 
whitened.  From  the  pond  came  the  croakings  of  the  con- 
federation of  frogs,  drowsy  and,  at  the  same  time,  resem- 
bling choral  prayers. 

Miss  Anney  for  a  while  listened  to  these  sounds  and 
afterwards  said: 

"Yes,  this  also  has  its  charm,  particularly  on  a  night 
like  this." 

"Are  not  nights  the  same  in  England?" 

"No,  not  as  quiet.  There  is  hardly  a  comer  there  to 
which  the  whistling  of  locomotives  or  the  factory  noises 
do  not  reach.  I  like  your  villages  for  their  quiet  and  their 
distance  from  the  cities." 

"So,  then,  this  is  not  the  first  time  that  you  have  seen  a 
Polish  village?" 

"No.    I  have  passed  the  last  month  with  Zosia  Otocka." 

"I  wish  that  our  Jastrzeb  would  find  favor  in  your  eyes. 
It  is  too  bad  that  you  chanced  here  upon  a  funeral.  That 
is  always  sad.    I  saw  that  you  were  even  affected." 

"It  reminded  me  of  something,"  answered  Miss  Anney. 

Whereupon,  evidently  desiring  to  change  the  subject 
of  the  conversation,  she  again  began  to  peer  into  the  depths 
of  the  garden. 

"How  everything  blooms  and  smells  agreeably  here!" 

"Those  are  jasmines  and  elders.  Did  you  observe  on 
the  forest  road,  riding  to  Jastrzeb,  that  the  edges  of  the 
woods  are  planted  with  elders  ?    That  is  my  work." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  3& 

"I  only  observed  it  at  the  bridge,  where  an  old  building 
stands.     What  kind  of  building  is  that?" 

"That  is  an  ancient  mill.  At  one  tune  there  was  a  great 
deal  of  water  in  the  stream  beside  it,  but  later  my  uncle, 
Zamowski,  drained  it  off  to  the  fish-ponds  in  Rzeslewo 
and  the  mill  stood  still.  Now  it  is  a  ramshackle  building 
in  which  for  over  ten  years  we  have  stored  hay  instead  of 
keeping  it  in  hayricks.  Folks  say  that  the  place  is  haunted, 
but  I  myself  circulated,  in  its  time,  that  myth." 

"Why?" 

"First,  so  that  they  should  not  steal  the  hay,  and  again 
because  it  was  of  much  concern  to  me  that  no  one  should 
pry  in  there." 

"What  an  invention!" 

"I  told  them  that  near  the  bridge  during  night-time  the 
horses  get  frightened  and  that  something  in  the  mill 
laughs;   which  is  true,  because  owls  laugh  there." 

"Perhaps  it  would  have  been  better  to  have  told  them 
that  something  in  there  weeps." 

"Why?" 

"For  greater  effect." 

"I  do  not  know.  Laughter  in  the  night  in  the  solitude 
creates  a  greater  impression.    People  fear  it  more." 

"And  nobody  peeps  in  there?" 

"Not  a  soul.  Now,  if  they  only  would  not  steal 
the  hay,  it  would  be  all  the  same  to  me,  but  at  that 
time  I  was  anxious  to  screen  myself  from  the  eyes  of 
men  —  " 

Here  Ladislaus  bit  his  tongue,  observing  in  the  moon- 
light that  Miss  Anney's  eyebrows  frowned  slightly.  He 
understood  that  in  repeating  twice  that  it  was  important 
to  him  that  no  one  should  pry  into  the  mill,  he  committed 
a  breach  of  etiquette  and,  what  was  worse,  had  presented 
himself  to  the  young  English  lady  as  some  provincial 
boaster,  who  gives  the  impression  that  often  he  has  been 


40  WHIRLPOOLS. 

forced  to  seek  various  hiding-places.  So  desiring  to  erase 
the  bad  impression,  he  added  quickly : 

"When  a  student,  I  wrote  verses  and  for  that  reason 
sought  solitude.    But  now  all  that  has  passed  away." 

"That  usually  passes  away,"  answered  Miss  Anney. 
And  she  turned  to  the  doors  of  the  salon,  but  without  un- 
necessary haste,  as  if  she  desired  to  show  Ladislaus  that 
she  accepted  as  good  coin  his  explanations  and  that  her 
return  was  not  a  manifestation  of  displeasure.  He 
remained  a  while,  angry  at  himself  and  yet  more  angry  at 
Miss  Anney  for  the  simple  reason  that  the  indiscretion  was 
committed  solely  by  him  and  he  could  not  blame  her  for 
anything. 

"In  any  case,"  he  said  to  himself,  "that  is  some  deucedly 
penetrating  Puritan." 

And  he  began  to  repeat,  with  some  indignation,  her  last 
words : 

"That  usually  passes  away." 

"Did  she,"  he  thought,  "intend  to  give  me  to  under- 
stand that  from  such  grist  as  is  in  me  nobody  could  bake 
any  poetry.  Perhaps  it  is  true,  and  I  knbw  that  better  than 
anyone  else,  but  it  is  unnecessary  for  anybody  to  corrobo- 
rate the  fact." 

Under  the  influence  of  these  thoughts  he  returned  to  the 
salon  in  not  quite  good  humor,  but  there  the  duties  of 
host  summoned  him  to  his  feminine  cousins  and  that 
evening  he  did  not  converse  any  more  with  Miss  Anney. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  41 


VI 

The  notary  left  the  same  night  because  his  official  duties 
required  his  presence  in  the  city  the  following  morning. 
On  the  day  after,  Gronski,  whom  Pani  Otocka  requested 
to  act  as  her  representative,  with  Ladislaus  and  Dolhanski 
departed  for  the  notarial  bureau.  All  three  were  troubled 
and  curious  about  the  will,  of  which  the  notary  did  not 
drop  a  single  hint.  Dolhanski  feigned  a  jocose  mien  and 
displayed  more  sangfroid  than  he  really  possessed.  He  was 
most  anxious  that  something  should  "drop  off"  for  him. 
He  was  a  man  who  had  squandered  a  large  fortune,  but, 
not  having  changed  his  habits,  kept  on  living  as  if  he  had 
not  lost  anything.  Therefore  he  sustained  himself  upon 
the  surface  of  life  by  the  aid  of  extraordinary,  almost 
acrobatic,  eflforts,  of  which  after  all  he  made  no  secret.  In 
general,  he  was  a  sponger  and  possessed  a  million  faults, 
but  also  certain  social  qualities  for  which  he  was  esteemed. 
Belonging  to  an  aristocratic  club,  he  played  cards  with  un- 
usual good  luck,  but  irreproachably.  He  never  borrowed 
money  from  people  in  his  own  sphere ;  never  gossiped,  and 
was  a  tolerably  loyal  friend.  Lack  of  education  he  supplied 
with  cleverness  and  a  certain  intellectual  grasp.  He 
jested  about  himself,  but  it  was  unsafe  to  jest  at  him, 
because  he  possessed,  besides  wit,  a  certain  candor  which 
bordered  upon  cynicism.  So  he  was  not  only  countenanced 
but  willingly  received.  Gronski,  for  whom  Dolhanski  had 
such  high  regard  that  he  permitted  him  alone  to  jest  about 
him,  said  that  if  Dolhanski  only  had  as  great  a  gift  of 
making  money  as  he  had  of  spending  it,  he  would  have 
been  a  millionaire. 


42  WHIRLPOOLS. 

But  while  waiting  for  such  a  change,  heavy  moments 
fell  upon  Dolhanski,  particularly  in  spring  when  the  play 
at  the  club  slackened  or  when  the  outing  season  began. 
Then  he  felt  fatigued  after  the  winter  struggles  and  sighed 
for  something  to  turn  up  which  would  not  require  any 
labor.  The  will  of  Zamowski  might  be  such  a  gratuity, 
although  Dolhanski  did  not  expect  much,  as  during  the 
lifetime  of  the  deceased  he  did  nothing  to  deserve  it.  He 
even  frankly  repeated  that  his  precious  uncle  bored  him. 
He  reckoned,  however,  that  something  might  be  sliced  off 
for  him ;  enough  for  the  temporary  pacification  of  his 
creditors  or,  better  still,  for  a  trip  to  a  fashionable,  aristo- 
cratic French  seaside  resort. 

Before  leaving  Warsaw  he  announced  in  the  club  that 
he  would  return  sitting  upon  a  pillow  stuffed  with  pawn- 
tickets. At  present  he  attempted,  with  a  certain  affected 
humor,  to  convince  Gronski  and  Ladislaus  that  by  rights 
neither  Pani  Otocka  with  her  sister,  nor  the  Krzyckis,  but 
himself  ought  to  be  the  chief  beneficiary. 

"One  of  the  female  cousins,"  he  said,  "is  a  warm  widow, 
who  has  a  fat  fortune  from  her  husband,  and  the  other  is  a 
budding  muse,  who  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  ambrosia. 
What  a  pity,  that  I  am  not  the  sole  relative  of  the 
deceased ! " 

Here  he  addressed  Ladislaus: 

"The  Krzyckis,  I  think,  need  not  be  considered,  because 
you  have  had,  as  I  heard,  a  dispute  about  the  Rzeslewo 
boundary.    I  hope  that  you  will  not  get  anything." 

"What  is  the  use  of  your  hoping?"  said  Gronski. 
"Limit,  above  all  things,  your  wants." 

"You  remind  me  of  my  lamented  father,"  answered 
Dolhanski. 

"He  certainly  must  have  repeated  that  to  you  often." 

"Too  often,  and  besides,  he  set  himself  up  as  an  example, 
but  I  demonstrated  to  him,  as  plainly  as  two  times  two  are 


WHIRLPOOLS.  43 

four,  that  I  could  and  ought  to  live  on  a  higher  scale  than 
he." 

"What  did  you  tell  him?" 

"I  spoke  to  him  thus:  Firstly,  Papa  has  a  son,  while  I 
am  childless,  and  again,  I  am  a  better  noble  than  he." 

"In  what  respect?" 

"  Very  plainly,  since  I  can  count  one  generation  more  in 
my  line  of  nobility." 

"Bravo!"  exclaimed  Krzycki.  "What  did  your  father 
say  to  that  ?  " 

"He  called  me  a  dunce,  but  I  saw  he  was  pleased  with 
it.  Ah,  if  my  conceits  would  only  please  Pani  Otocka  as 
they  once  did  Papa.  But  I  am  convinced  that  my  constancy 
and  my  appetite  will  avail  me  naught.  My  dear  cousin  is 
after  all  more  practical  than  she  seems.  You  would 
imagine  that  both  sisters  live  only  on  the  fragrance  of 
flowers ;  and  yet  when  they  learned  of  a  possible  inheritance, 
they  hastily  arrived  at  Jastrzeb." 

"I  can  assure  you  that  you  are  mistaken.  Mother 
invited  them  last  year  while  in  Krynica  and  now,  at  least 
a  week  before  the  death  of  Uncle  Zarnowski,  she  reminded 
them  of  their  promise.  They  wrote  back  that  they  could 
not  come  because  they  had  a  guest.  Then  mother  invited 
the  guest  also." 

"If  that  is  so,  it  is  different.  Now,  not  only  do  I  under- 
stand your  mother,  but  as  you  are  a  shapely  youth  and, 
in  addition,  younger  than  myself,  I  begin  to  fear  for 
Cousin  Otocka's  fortune,  which  more  justly  belongs  to 
me." 

"  You  need  have  no  fear,"  answered  Krzycki  drily. 

"Does  that  mean  that  you  prefer  pounds  to  roubles? 
Considering  the  rate  of  exchange,  I  would  prefer  them 
also,  but  I  fear  that  too  many  of  them  might  have  sunk  in 
the  Channel  on  the  way  from  England." 

"  If  you  are  so  much  concerned  about  that/'  said  Gronski, 


44  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"you  might  ask  Miss  Anney  about  the  precise  amount. 
She  is  so  sincere  that  she  will  reply  to  a  certainty." 
"Yes,  but  it  is  necessary  that  I  should  believe  her." 
"If  you  knew  a  little  of  human  nature,  you  ought  to 
believe  her." 

"In  any  case,  I  would  fear  a  misunderstanding;  for  if 
she  answered  me  in  Polish,  she  could   make  a  mistake, 
and  if  in  English,  I  might  not  understand  her  perfectly." 
"She  speaks  better  Polish  than  you  do  English." 
"I  admit  that  this  astonishes  me.     Whence?" 
"Haven't  I  told  you,"  answered  Gronski,  with  some 
impatience,  "  that  she  was  taught  from  childhood,  because 
her  father  was  an  Englishman  who  had  great  sympathy 
for  the  Poles?" 

"De  gustibus  non  est  disputandem,"  answered  Dol- 
hanski. 

And  afterwards  he  again  began  to  speak  of  the  deceased 
and  of  the  old  notary,  mimicking  the  movements  of  his 
toothless  jaws  and  the  fury  of  his  look;  and  finally  he  an- 
nounced that  if  something  was  not  "sliced  off"  for  him  he 
would  either  shoot  hunself  upon  Pani  Otocka's  threshold 
or  else  would  drive  over  to  Gorek  and  oflFer  himself  for  the 
hand  of  Panna  Wlocek. 

But  Gronski  was  buried  in  thought  about  something 
else  during  the  time  of  this  idle  talk,  while  Ladislaus  heard 
him  distractedly  as  his  attention  was  attracted  by  the  con- 
siderable number  of  peasant  carts  which  they  were  con- 
tinually passing  by.  Supposing  that  he  had  forgotten 
some  market-day  in  the  city,  he  turned  to  his  coachman. 

"Andrew,"  he  asked,  "why  are  there  so  many  carts  on 
the  road  to  the  city?" 

"Ah,  those,  please  your  honor,  are  Rzeslewo  peasants." 
"Rzeslewo?    What  have  they  to  do  there?" 
"Ah!  please  your  honor,  on  account  of  the  will  of  the 
deceased  Pan  Zamowski;  it  is  to  give  them  Rzeslewo." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  45 

Krzycki  turned  to  Gronski. 

"I  heard,"  he  said,  "that  somebody  circulated  among 
them  such  a  story,  but  did  not  think  that  they  would 
believe  it." 

And  afterwards  again  to  the  coachman : 

"Who  told  them  that?" 

The  old  driver  hesitated  somewhat  in  his  reply: 

"The  people  gossip  that  it  was  the  Tutor." 

Ladislaus  began  to  laugh. 

"Oh,  stupid  peasants!"  he  said.  "Why,  he  never  in 
his  life  saw  Pan  Zamowski.  How  would  he  know  about 
the  will?" 

But  after  a  moment  of  meditation  he  said,  partly  to  his 
companions  and  partly  to  himself: 

"Everything  must  have  some  object,  so  if  Laskowicz 
did  that,  let  some  one  explain  to  me  why  he  did  it." 

"Do  you  suspect  him  of  it?"    asked  Gronski. 

"I  do  not  know,  for  heretofore  I  had  assumed  that  one 
could  be  a  socialist  and  keep  his  wits  in  order." 

"Ah,  so  he  is  a  bird  of  that  nest?  Tell  me  how  long 
has  he  been  with  you  and  what  manner  of  a  man  is  he?" 

"He  has  been  with  us  half  a  year.  We  needed  an 
instructor  for  Stas  and  some  one  recommended  him  to  us. 
We  were  informed  that  he  would  have  to  leave  Warsaw  for 
a  certain  time  to  elude  the  police  and,  in  fact,  for  that  reason 
received  him  more  eagerly,  thinking  that  some  patriotic 
matter  was  involved.  Later,  when  it  appeared  that  Bie 
was  of  an  entirely  different  calibre,  mother  would  not  per- 
mit his  dismissal  in  hope  that  she  might  convert  him.  At 
the  beginning  she  had  lengthy  heart-to-heart  talks  with 
him  and  requested  me  to  be  friendly  with  him.  We 
treated  him  as  a  member  of  the  family,  but  the  result  has 
been  such  that  he  hates  us,  not  only  as  people  belonging  to 
a  sphere  which  he  envies,  but  also,  as  it  seems,  individually." 

"It  is  evident,"  said  Dolhanski,  "he  holds  it  evil  of  you 


46  WHIRLPOOLS. 

that  you  are  not  such  as  he  imagined  you  would  be ;  neither 
so  wicked  nor  so  stupid.  And  you  may  rest  assured  that 
he  will  never  forgive  that  in  you." 

"That  may  be  so.  In  any  case,  he  will  shortly  despise 
us  from  a  distance,  for  after  a  month  we  part.  I  under- 
stand that  one  can  and  ought  to  tolerate  all  convictions, 
but  there  is  something  in  him,  besides  his  principles  and 
hatreds,  which  is  so  conflicting  with  all  our  customs,  and 
something  so  strange  that  we  have  had  enough  of  him." 

"My  Laudie,"  answered  Dolhanski,  "do  not  neces- 
sarily apply  this  to  yourself,  for  I  speak  generally,  but 
since  you  have  mentioned  toleration,  I  will  tell  you  that 
in  my  opinion  toleration  in  Poland  was  and  is  nothing  else 
than  downright  stupidity,  and  monumental  stupidity  at 
that." 

"In  certain  respects  Dolhanski  is  right,"  answered 
Gronski.  "It  may  be  that  in  the  course  of  our  history  we 
tolerated  various  ideas  and  elements  not  only  through 
magnanimous  forbearance,  but  also  because  in  our  in- 
dolence we  did  not  care  to  contend  with  them." 

To  this  Ladislaus,  who  did  not  like  to  engage  in  general 
argumentation,  said: 

"That  is  all  right,  but  all  that  does  not  explain  why 
Laskowicz  should  spread  among  the  peasants  the  news 
that  Uncle  Zarnowski  devised  Rzeslewo  to  them." 

"There  is,  as  yet,  no  certainty  that  he  did,"  answered 
Gronski.  "We  will  very  soon  learn  the  truth  at  the 
notary's." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  47 


VII 

The  hour  was  five  in  the  afternoon.  The  ladies  sat  on  the 
veranda,  at  tea,  when  the  young  men  returned  from  the 
city.  Miss  Anney  rose  when  they  appeared  and,  not  wish- 
ing to  be  present,  as  a  stranger,  at  the  family  conversation, 
left  on  some  pretext  for  her  room.  Pani  Krzycki  greeted 
them  with  slightly  affected  calm,  because  in  reality  the 
thought  of  the  will  did  not  leave  her  for  a  moment.  She 
was  not  greedier  than  the  generality  of  common  mortals, 
but  she  was  immensely  concerned  that,  after  her  demise, 
at  the  distribution  of  the  estate,  Ladislaus  should  have 
enough  to  pay  off  the  younger  members  of  the  family  and 
to  sustain  himself  at  Jastrzeb.  And  some  respectable 
bequest  would  in  a  remarkable  manner  facilitate  the 
making  of  such  payments.  Besides,  at  the  bottom  of  the 
noble  soul  of  Pani  Krzycki  there  lay  hidden  the  faith  that 
Providence  owed,  to  a  certain  extent,  greater  obligations  to 
the  Krzycki  family  than  to  any  ordinary  family.  For  that 
reason,  even  if  the  whole  of  Rzeslewo  fell  to  the  lot  of 
that  family,  she  would  with  readiness  and  willingness  sub- 
mit to  such  a  decree  of  Providence.  Finally,  descending 
from  the  blood  of  a  people  who  in  certain  cases  can 
sacrifice  fortune,  but  love  extraordinarily  to  acquire  it 
without  any  effort,  she  fondled  all  day  the  thought  that 
such  an  easy  acquisition  was  about  to  occur. 

But  in  the  countenances  of  Ladislaus  and  Gronski  she 
could  at  once  discern  that  they  brought  specific  intelli- 
gence. Dolhanski,  who  was  the  first  to  alight  from  the 
carriage,  was  the  first  to  begin  the  report. 

"I  anticipate  the  question,  what  is  the  news?"  he  said. 


48  WHIRLPOOLS. 

drawling  his  expressions  with  cold  irony,  "and  I  answer 
everything  is  for  the  best,  for  the  Rzeslewo  Mats  and 
Jacks  will  have  something  with  which  they  can  travel 
to  Carlsbad." 

Pani  Krzycki  grew  somewhat  pale  and,  turning  to  Gron- 
ski,  asked: 

"What,   in  truth,  gentlemen,   have  you  brought  with 

you?" 

"The  will  in  its  provisions  is  peculiar,"  answered 
Gronski,  "but  was  executed  in  a  noble  spirit.  Rzeslewo 
is  devised  for  a  peasants'  agricultural  school  and  the 
interest  of  the  funds  is  to  be  devoted  to  sending  the  pupils 
of  the  school,  who  have  finished  their  courses,  for  a  year's 
or  two  years'  practice  in  country  husbandry  in  Bohemia." 

"Or,  as  I  stated,  to  Carlsbad,  Marienbad,  Teplitz,  and 
other  places  of  the  same  character,"  explained  Dolhanski. 

A  moment  of  silence  followed.  Marynia,  who  was  pour- 
ing the  tea,  began,  with  teapot  in  hand,  to  gaze  with  inquiring 
look  at  those  present,  desiring  evidently  to  unriddle  whether 
they  praised  or  condemned  it  and  whether  it  gave  them 
pleasure  or  annoyance.  Pani  Otocka  looked  at  Gronski 
with  eyes  which  evinced  delight;  while  Pani  Krzycki 
leaned  with  both  hands  upon  the  cane  which  she  used 
owing  to  rheumatism  in  her  limbs,  and  after  a  certain  time 
asked  in  a  slightly  hoarse  voice: 

"So,  it  is  for  a  public  purpose?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Gronski,  "the  organization  of  the 
school  and  afterwards  the  division  of  the  funds  for  the 
stay  in  Bohemia  is  to  be  assumed  by  a  special  Directory  of 
the  Trust  Society  of  this  province,  and  the  designated 
curator  of  the  school  is  Laudie." 

"Too  bad  it  is  not  I,"  interposed  Dolhanski.  "I  would 
arrange  it  very  quickly." 

"There  are  specific  bequests,"  continued  Gronski, 
"and  these  are  very  strange.    He  bequeaths  various  small 


WHIRLPOOLS.  49 

sums  to  the  household  servants  and  ten  thousand  roubles 
to  some  Skibianka,  daughter  of  a  blacksmith  at  the 
Rzeslewo  manor,  who  m  his  time  emigrated  to  America." 

"Skibianka!"  repeated  Pani  Krzycki  with  astonish- 
ment. 

Dolhanski  bit  off  the  ends  of  his  mustache,  smiled,  and 
started  to  grumble  tliat  the  nobility  was  always  distin- 
guished for  its  love  of  the  common  people,  but  Gronski 
looked  at  him  severely;  after  which  he  drew  from  his 
pocket  a  memorandum  and  said: 

"That  provision  of  the  will  is  worded  as  follows: 
Whereas  the  parents  of  Hanka  Skiba  or  Skibianka  emi- 
grated during  my  sojourn  abroad  for  medical  treatment, 
and  I  have  not  had  the  opportunity  of  ascertaining 
where  they  can  be  found,  therefore  I  obligate  my  relative, 
Ladislaus  Krzycki,  to  cause  to  be  published  in  all  the 
Polish  newspapers  printed  in  the  United  States  and  in 
Parana,  advertisements.  If  the  said  legatee  does  not 
within  two  years  appear  to  receive  the  bequest,  the  entire 
siun  with  interest  becomes  the  property  of  the  said  Ladis- 
laus Krzycki." 

"And  I  already  have  announced  that  I  do  not  intend 
to  accept  that  specific  bequest,"  cried  the  young  man 
excitedly. 

All  eyes  were  turned  toward  him ;  he  added : 

"I  would  not  think  of  it;  I  would  not  think  of  it." 

"Why  not?"    asked  his  mother  after  a  while. 

"Because  I  cannot.  Let  us  suppose  that  the  legatee 
appears,  say  for  instance,  within  three  years  instead  of 
two,  what  would  happen?  Would  I  pocket  the  bequest 
and  drive  her  away  ?  No !  I  could  not  do  that.  Finally, 
there  are  other  considerations  of  which  I  do  not  wish  to 
speak." 

In  fact,  only  by  these  "other  considerations,"  could 
such  a  considerable  bequest  to  a  simple  village  girl  be 

4 


5#  WHIRLPOOLS. 

explained;  therefore  Pani  Krzycki  became  silent.  After 
a  while  she  said: 

"My  Laudie,  nobody  will  coerce,  nor  even  try  to  per- 
suade you  to  accept." 

But  Dolhanski  asked: 

"Tell  me,  is  this  some  mythical  disinterestedness  or  is  it 
ill  humor  caused  by  your  not  receiving  a  greater  bequest  ?" 

"Do  not  judge  by  yourself,"  answered  Krzycki;  "but  I 
will  tell  you  something  which  you  certainly  will  not  be- 
lieve; since  this  estate  is  to  be  devoted  to  such  an  object 
as  a  peasants'  agricultural  school,  I  am  highly  delighted 
and  have  much  greater  esteem  for  the  deceased.  I  give 
you  my  word  that  I  speak  with  entire  sincerity." 

"Bravo!"  exclaimed  Pani  Otocka,  "it  is  pleasant  to 
hear  that." 

Pani  Krzycki  looked  with  pride  first  upon  her  son,  then 
upon  Pani  Otocka;  and,  though  a  feeling  of  disappoint- 
ment lingered  in  her  heart,  said: 

"Well,  let  there  be  a  peasants'  school,  if  only  our  Jastrzeb 
peasants  will  be  permitted  to  send  their  sons  to  it." 

"That  does  not  admit  of  any  doubt,"  explained  Gronski. 
"There  will  be  as  many  pupils  as  accommodations  can  be 
provided  for.  They  may  come  from  all  parts,  though  pref- 
erence is  to  be  given  to  Rzeslewo  peasants." 

"What  do  they  say  about  the  bequest?" 

"  There  were  more  than  a  dozen  of  them  at  the  opening 
of  the  will,  as  they  expected  a  direct  gift  of  all  the  manor 
lands  to  them.  Somebody  had  persuaded  them  that  the 
deceased  left  everything  to  them  to  be  equally  divided. 
So  they  left  very  much  displeased.  We  heard  them  say 
that  this  was  not  the  genuine  will  and  that  they  do  not 
need  any  schools." 

"Most  fully  do  I  share  their  opinion,"  said  Dolhanski, 
"and  in  this  instance,  contrary  to  my  nature,  I  will  speak 
seriously.     For  at  present  there  is  raging  an  epidemic  of 


WHIRLPOOLS.  51 

founding  schools  and  no  one  asks  for  whom,  for  what, 
how  are  they  to  be  taught  in  them,  and  what  is  the  end  to 
be  attained.  I  belong  to  that  species  of  birds  who  do  not 
toil,  but  look  at  everything,  if  not  from  the  top,  then  from 
the  side,  and,  perhaps  for  that  very  reason,  see  things  which 
others  do  not  observe.  So,  at  times,  I  have  an  impression 
that  we  are  like  those  children,  for  instance,  at  Ostend, 
who  build  on  the  sea-shore  forts  with  the  sand.  Every 
day  on  the  beach  they  erect  them  and  every  day  the  waves 
wash  them  away  until  not  a  trace  of  them  remains." 

"In  a  way  you  are  right,"  said  Gronski;  "but  there, 
however,  is  this  difference:  the  children  build  joyfully 
and  we  do  not." 

Afterwards  he  meditated  and  added: 

"However,  the  law  of  nature  is  such  that  children  grow 
while  the  adults  rear  dykes,  not  of  sand,  but  of  stone  upon 
which  the  weaves  dash  to  pieces." 

"Let  them  be  dashed  to  pieces  as  quickly  as  possible," 
exclaimed  Ladislaus. 

But  Dolhanski  would  not  concede  defeat. 

"Permit  me  then,"  he  said,  "since  we  have  not  yet  grown 
up  and  have  not  yet  started  to  build  of  stone,  to  remain  a 
pessimist." 

Gronski  gazed  for  a  while  into  the  depths  of  the  garden 
like  a  man  who  was  pondering  over  something  and  then 
said: 

"  Pessimism  —  pessimism  !  We  hear  that  incessantly 
nowadays.  But  in  the  meanwhile  if  there  exists  anything 
more  stupid  than  optimism,  which  often  passes  for  folly, 
it  is  particularly  pessimism,  which  desires  to  pose  as 
reason." 

Dolhanski  smiled  a  trifle  biliously  and,  turning  to  the 
ladies,  said,  pointing  to  Gronski : 

"Do  not  take  this  ill  of  him,  ladies.  It  often  happens 
for  him  in  moments  of  abstraction  to  utter  impertinences. 


52  WHIRLPOOLS. 

He  is  a  good  —  even  intelligent —  man,  but  has  the  unbear- 
able habit  of  turning  over  everything,  examining  it  from  all 
sides,  pondering  over  it,  and  soliloquizing." 

But  Marynia  suddenly  flushed  with  indignation  in  de- 
fence of  her  friend  and,  shaking  the  teapot  which  at  that 
moment  she  held  in  her  hand,  began  to  speak  with  great 
ardor : 

"That  is  just  right,  that  is  Just  sensible;  that  is  what 
everybody  ought  to  do  —  " 

Dolhanski  pretended  to  be  awe-stricken  and,  bowing  his 
head,  cried: 

"I  am  vanquished;  I  retreat  and  surrender  arms." 

Gronski,  laughing,  kissed  her  hand,  while  she,  abashed 
at  her  own  vehemence  and  covered  with  blushes,  began  to 
ask: 

"  Is  it  not  the  truth  ?    Am  I  not  right  ?  " 

But  Dolhanski  already  recovered  his  presence  of  mind. 

"That  does  not  prove  anything,"  he  said. 

"Why?" 

"Because  Gronski  once  promulgated  this  aphorism: 
It  is  never  proper  to  follow  the  views  of  a  woman,  especially 
if  by  accident  she  is  right." 

"I?"  exclaimed  Gronski.  "Untangle  yourself  from  me. 
I  never  said  anything  like  that.  Do  not  believe  him, 
ladies." 

"I  believe  only  you,  sir,"  answered  Marynia. 

But  further  conversation  was  interrupted  by  Pani 
Krzycki,  who  observed  that  it  was  time  for  the  May  mass. 
In  the  Jastrzeb  manor-house,  there  was  a  room  especially 
assigned  for  that  purpose  and  known  as  the  chapel.  At 
the  main  wall,  opposite  the  windows,  stood  an  altar  with 
a  painting  of  the  Divine  Mother  of  Czestochowo.  The 
walls,  altar,  painting,  and  even  the  candles  were  decorated 
with  green  garlands.  On  the  side  tables  stood  bouquets 
of  elders  and  jasmines  whose  fragrance  filled  the  entire 


WHIRLPOOLS.  53 

room.  Sometimes,  when  the  rector  of  Rzeslewo  arrived, 
he  conducted  the  services;  in  his  absence  the  lady  of  the 
house.  All  the  inmates  of  the  house,  with  the  exception 
of  Laskowicz,  during  the  entire  month  of  May  met  every 
evening  in  the  chapel.  At  present  the  gentlemen  followed 
the  ladies.    On  the  way  Ladislaus  asked  Gronski: 

"Is  Miss  Anney  a  Catholic?" 

"To  tell  you  the  truth,  I  do  not  know,"  answered 
Gronski,  "but  it  seems  —  but  look,  she  is  entering  also. 
So  she  must  be  a  Catholic.    Perhaps  her  name  is  Irish." 

In  the  chapel  the  candles  were  already  lit,  though  the 
sun  had  not  entirely  set  and  stood  in  the  windows,  low, 
golden,  and  ruddy,  casting  a  lustre  on  the  white  cloth 
which  covered  the  altar  and  on  the  heads  of  the  women. 
At  the  very  altar  the  lady  of  the  house  knelt,  behind 
her  the  lady  visitors ;  after  them  the  female  servants  and 
the  old  asthmatic  lackey,  while  the  gentlemen  stood  at 
the  wall  between  the  windows.  The  customary  songs, 
prayers,  and  litanies  began.  Their  sweetness  struck 
Gronski.  There  was  in  them  something  of  spring  and  at 
the  same  time  of  the  evening.  The  impression  of  the 
spring  was  created  by  the  flowers,  and  of  the  evening  by 
ruddy  lustre  entering  through  the  windows,  and  the  soft 
voices  of  the  women  who,  repeating  the  choral  words  of 
the  litanies,  reminded  one  of  the  last  chirp  of  birds,  sub- 
siding before  the  setting  of  the  sun.  "Healer  of  the  sick. 
Refuge  of  sinners,  Comforter  of  the  afflicted,"  repeated 
Pani  Krzycki;  and  those  soft,  subdued  voices  responded, 
"Pray  for  us,"  —  and  thus  did  that  country  home  pray 
on  that  May  evening.  Gronski,  who  was  a  sceptic,  but 
not  an  atheist,  like  a  man  of  high  culture,  at  first  felt  the 
aesthetic  side  of  this  childlike  "good-night"  borne  by  these 
women  to  a  benign  deity.  Afterwards,  as  if  desiring  to 
corroborate  the  truth  of  Dolhanski's  assertion  that  he  was 
wont  to  turn  over  every  subject  on  every  side  and  to  ponder 


54  WHIRLPOOLS. 

over  every  phenomenon,  he  began  to  meditate  upon  re- 
ligious manifestations.  It  occurred  to  him  that  this  hom- 
age rendered  to  a  deity  was  an  element  purely  ideal,  pos- 
sessed solely  by  humanity.  He  recalled  that  as  often  as 
he  happened  to  be  in  church  and  saw  people  praying,  so 
often  was  he  struck  by  the  unfathomable  chasm  which 
separates  the  world  of  man  from  the  animal  world.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  religious  conceptions  can  only  be  formed 
by  higher  and  more  perfect  organisms;  therefore  he  drew 
the  conclusion  that  if  there  existed  beings  ten  times  more 
intelligent  than  mankind,  they  would,  in  their  own  way, 
be  ten  times  more  religious.  "Yes,  but  in  their  own  way," 
Gronski  repeated,  "which  perhaps  might  be  very  different." 
His  spiritual  drama  (and  he  often  thought  that  there  were 
many  people  like  him)  was  this:  that  the  Absolute  ap- 
peared to  him  as  an  abyss,  as  some  synthetic  law  of  all  the 
laws  of  existence.  Thus  he  presumed  that  according  to 
a  degree  of  mental  development  it  was  impossible  to 
imagine  that  law  in  the  form  of  the  kindly  old  man  or  in 
the  eye  on  the  radiant  triangle,  unless  one  takes  matters 
symbolically  and  assumes  that  the  old  man  and  the  eye 
express  the  all-basis  of  existence,  as  the  horizontally  drawn 
eight  denotes  infinity.  But  in  such  case  what  will  this  all- 
basis  be  for  him  ?  Always  night,  always  an  abyss,  always 
something  inscrutable;  barely  to  be  felt  by  some  dull 
sensation  and  not  by  any  clear  perception,  from  whose 
power  can  be  understood  the  phenomenon  of  existence 
and  an  answer  be  made  to  the  various  whys  and  where- 
fores. "Mankind,"  mused  Gronski,  "possesses  at  the 
same  time  too  much  and  too  little  intelligence.  For,  after 
all,  to  simply  believe  one  must  unreservedly  shut  the 
blinds  of  his  intellectual  windows  and  not  permit  himself 
to  peer  through  them;  and  when  he  does  open  them  he 
discovers  only  a  starless  night."  For  this  reason  he  en- 
vied those  middle-aged  persons,  whose  intelligence  reared 


WHIRLPOOLS.  65 

mentally  edifices  upon  unshaken  dogmas,  just  as  light- 
houses are  built  upon  rocks  in  the  sea.  Dante  could 
master  the  whole  field  of  knowledge  of  his  time  and 
yet,  notwithstanding  this,  could  traverse  hell,  purgatory, 
and  paradise.  The  modem  man  of  learning  could  not 
travel  thus,  for  if  he  wished  to  pass  in  thought  beyond 
the  world  of  material  phenomenon,  he  would  see  that 
which  we  behold  in  Wuertz's  well-known  painting,  a  de- 
capitated head;  that  is,  some  element  so  undefined  that 
it  is  equivalent  to  nothing. 

But  the  tragedy,  according  to  Gronski,  lay  not  only  in 
the  inscrutability  of  the  Absolute,  in  the  impossibility  of 
understanding  His  laws,  but  also  in  the  impossibility 
of  agreeing  on  them  and  acknowledging  them  from  the 
view  point  of  human  life.  There  exist,  of  course,  evil  and 
woe.  The  Old  Testament  explains  them  easily  by  the 
state  of  almost  continual  rage  of  its  Jah.  "Domine  ne  in 
furore  tuo  arguas  me,  neque  in  ira  tua  corripias  me, "and 
afterwards  "saggittae  tuae  infixae  sunt  mihi  et  confirmasti 
super  me  manuo  tuum."  And  once  having  accepted  this 
blind  fury  and  this  "strengthening  of  the  right  hand,"  it 
is  easy  to  explain  to  one's  self  in  a  simple  manner  mis- 
fortune. But  already  in  the  Old  Testament,  Ecclesiastes 
doubts  whether  everything  in  the  world  is  in  order.  The 
New  Testament  sees  evil  in  matter  in  contraposition  to 
the  soul ;  and  that  is  clear.  However,  viewing  the  matter, 
in  the  abstract,  as  everything  is  a  close  chain  of  cause  and 
effect,  therefore  everything  is  logical,  and  being  logical 
it  cannot  per  se  be  either  evil  or  good,  but  may  appear 
propitious  or  unfavorable  in  its  relation  to  man.  Besides, 
that  which  we  call  evil  or  misfortune  may,  according  to 
the  absolute  laws  of  existence,  and  in  its  profundity,  be 
wise  and  essential  principles  of  development,  which  are 
beyond  human  comprehension,  and  therefore  something 
which  in  itself  is  an  advantageous  phenomenon. 


56  WHIRLPOOLS. 

Yes,  but  in  such  case,  whence  does  man  derive  the 
power  to  oppose  his  individual  thoughts  and  his  concrete 
conceptions  to  this  universal  logic?  If  everything  is  a 
delusion,  why  is  the  human  mind  a  force,  existing,  as  it 
were,  outside  of  the  general  laws  of  existence?  There  is 
this  something,  unprecedented  and  at  the  same  time 
tragical,  that  man  must  be  subjected  to  these  laws  and  can 
protest  against  them.  On  earth  spiritual  peace  was  en- 
joyed only  by  the  gods,  and  is  now  only  by  animals.  Man 
is  eternally  struggling  and  crying  veto,  and  such  a  veto  is 
every  human  tear. 

And  here  Gronski's  thoughts  assumed  a  more  personal 
aspect.  He  began  to  look  at  the  praying  Marynia  and  at 
first  experienced  relief.  There  came  to  his  mind  tlie 
purely  sesthetic  observation  that  Carpaccio  might  have 
placed  such  a  maiden  beside  his  guitar-player  and  Boti- 
celli  should  have  foreseen  her.  But  immediately  after- 
wards he  thought  that  even  such  a  flower  must  wither, 
and  nothing  withers  or  dies  without  pain.  Suddenly  he 
was  seized  with  a  fear  of  the  future,  which  in  her  travel- 
ing-pouch carries  concealed  evil  and  woe.  He  recalled, 
indeed,  the  aphorism  which  he  had  uttered,  a  short  time 
before,  about  pessimism;  but  that  gave  him  no  comfort, 
because  he  understood  that  the  pessimism  which  flowed 
from  the  exertions  of  the  intellect  is  different  from  the 
worldling's  pessimism  which  Dolhanski,  by  shrugging  his 
shoulders  at  everything,  permitted  himself  to  indulge  in 
when  free  from  card-playing.  He  moreover  propounded 
to  himself  the  question  whether  that  debilitating  pessi- 
mism could  in  any  manner  be  well  founded,  and  here 
unexpectedly  there  stood  before  his  eyes  another  friend, 
entirely  different  from  Dolhanski,  though  also  a  sceptic 
and  hedonist,  —  Doctor  Parebski.  He  was  a  college-mate 
of  Gronski  and  in  later  years  had  treated  him  for  a  nerv- 
ous  ailment;    therefore  he  knew  him  perfectly.     Once, 


WHIRLPOOLS.  57 

after  listening  to  his  various  reflections  and  complaints 
about  the  impossibility  of  finding  a  solution  of  the  para- 
mount questions  of  life,  Doctor  Parebski  said  to  him: 
"That  is  a  pastime  for  which  time  and  means  are  neces- 
sary. If  you  had  to  work  for  your  bread  as  I  have,  you 
would  not  upset  your  owti  mind  and  the  minds  of  others. 
All  that  reminds  me  of  a  dog  chasing  his  own  tail.  And 
I  tell  you,  look  at  that  which  environs  you  and  not  at  your 
own  navel;  and  if  you  want  to  be  well,  then  —  carpe 
diem!"  Gronski  at  that  time  deemed  these  words  some- 
what brutal  and  more  in  the  nature  of  medical  than  philo- 
sophical advice,  but  now  when  he  recalled  them  he  said 
to  himself:  "In  truth  the  road  on  which,  as  if  from  bad 
habit,  I  am  continually  entering  leads  to  nowhere;  and 
who  knows  whether  these  women  praying  this  moment 
with  such  faith  are  not,  without  question,  more  sensible 
than  I  am,  not  to  say  more  at  ease  and  happier?  " 

In  the  meantime  Pani  Kryzcki  began  to  speak:  "Under 
Thy  protection  we  flee.  Holy  Mother  of  God,"  and  the 
women's  voices  immediately  responded:  "Our  entreaties 
deign  not  to  spurn  and  from  all  evil  deign  to  preserve  us 
forever."  Gronski  was  swept  by  an  intense  longing  for 
such  a  sweet,  tutelary  divinity  who  does  not  deign  to  scorn 
entreaties  and  who  delivers  us  from  evil.  How  well  it 
would  be  with  him  if  he  could  enjoy  such  peace  of  mind, 
and  how  simple  the  thought !  Unfortunately  he  already 
had  strayed  too  far  away.  He  could,  like  women,  yearn, 
but,  unlike  them,  he  could  not  believe. 

Gronski  mentally  reviewed  the  whole  array  of  his  ac- 
quaintances and  noted  that  those  who  fervently  believed, 
in  the  depths  of  their  souls,  were  very  few  in  number. 
Some  there  were  who  did  not  believe  at  all;  others  who 
wanted  to  beheve  and  could  not;  some  acknowledged 
from  social  considerations  the  necessity  of  faith,  and 
finally  there  were  those  who  were  simply  occupied  with 


68  WHIRLPOOLS. 

something  else.  To  this  latter  category  belonged  men 
who,  for  instance,  observed  the  custom  of  attending  mass 
as  they  did  the  habit  of  eating  breakfast  every  morn- 
ing, or  of  donning  a  dress-coat  each  evening  or  wearing 
gloves.  Through  habit  it  entered  into  the  texture  of  their 
lives.  Here  Gronski  unwillingly  glanced  at  Ladislaus, 
for  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  young  man  was  a  bird  from 
that  grove. 

Such,  in  fact,  was  the  case.  Krzycki,  however,  was 
neither  a  dull  nor  thoughtless  person.  At  the  university 
he,  like  others,  philosophized  a  little,  but  afterwards  the 
current  of  his  life  carried  him  in  another  direction.  There 
existed,  indeed,  beside  Jastrzeb  and  the  daily  affairs  con- 
nected therewith,  other  matters  which  deeply  interested 
him.  He  was  sincerely  concerned  about  his  native  land, 
her  future,  the  events  which  might  affect  her  destiny,  and 
finally  —  women  and  love.  But  upon  faith  he  reflected 
as  much  as  he  did  upon  death,  upon  which  he  did  not  re- 
flect at  all,  as  if  he  was  of  the  opinion  that  it  was  improper 
to  think  of  them,  since  they  in  the  proper  time  will  not 
forget  anybody. 

At  present,  moreover,  owing  to  the  guests,  he  was  more 
than  a  hundred  miles  from  thinking  of  such  questions. 
At  one  time,  while  yet  a  student,  when  during  vacation 
time  he  drove  over  with  his  mother  to  Rzeslewo  to  attend 
high  mass,  he  cherished  in  the  depths  of  his  soul  the  poeti- 
cal hope  that  some  Sunday  the  rattle  of  a  carriage  would 
resound  without  the  church  doors  and  a  young  and  charm- 
ing princess,  journeying  from  somewhere  beyond  the 
Baltic  to  Kiev,  would  enter  the  church;  that  he  would 
invite  her  to  Jastrzeb  and  later  fall  in  love  with  her  and 
marry  her.  And  now  here  unexpectedly  those  youthful 
dreams  were  in  some  measure  realized,  for  to  Jastrzeb 
there  came  not  one  but  three  princesses  of  whom  he  could 
dream  as  much  as  he  pleased,  for  behold,  they  were  now 


WHIRLPOOLS.  59 

kneeling  before  the  family  altar,  absorbed  in  prayer.  He 
began  to  gaze  —  now  at  Pani  Otocka  and  then  at  the 
form  of  Marynia,  which  resembled  a  Tanagra  figurine, 
and  repeated  to  himself:  "Mother  desires  to  give  one  of 
them  to  me  as  a  wife."  And  he  had  nothing  against  the 
idea,  but  thought  of  Pani  Otocka,  "That  is  a  book  which 
somebody  has  already  read,  while  the  other  is  a  fledgeling 
who  can  play  a  violin."  Ladislaus  was  of  the  age  which 
does  not  take  into  calculation  any  woman  under  twenty 
years.  After  a  while,  as  if  unwillingly,  he  directed  his 
eyes  towards  Miss  Anney,  —  unwillingly  because  she 
formed  the  most  Imninous  object  in  the  room,  for  the  set- 
ting sun,  falling  upon  her  light  hair,  saturated  it  with 
such  lustre  that  the  whole  head  appeared  aflame.  Miss 
Anney  from  time  to  time  raised  her  hand  and  shaded  her 
head  with  it  as  if  she  desired  to  extinguish  the  lustre,  but 
as  the  rays  each  moment  became  less  warm,  she  finally 
discontinued  the  action.  At  times  she  was  hidden  from 
view  by  the  figure  of  some  dark-haired  girl,  whom  Ladis- 
laus did  not  know,  but  who,  he  surmised,  must  be  a  ser- 
vant of  one  of  these  ladies.  Towards  the  close  of  the 
services  the  girl  bowed  so  low  that  she  no  longer  obscured 
the  view  of  the  light  hair  or  the  young  and  powerful 
shoulders. 

"That,"  he  said  to  himself,  "would  be  the  greatest 
temptation,  but  mother  would  be  opposed,  as  she  is  a 
foreigner." 

But  suddenly,  as  if -to  rebuke  his  conscience,  there  came 
to  his  memory  the  pensive  eyes  and  slender  shoulders  of 
Panna  Stabrowska.  Ah !  if  only  Rzeslewo  and  the  funds 
had  fallen  to  his  lot!  But  uncle  bequeathed  Rzeslewo 
for  educational  purposes  and  the  funds  for  trips  to  Carlsbad 
by  the  Mats,  as  Dolhanski  had  said,  and  a  few  thousand 
for  Hanka  Skibianka.  At  this  recollection  his  brow  clouded 
and  he  drew  his  hand  across  his  forehead. 


60  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"I  unnecessarily  became  excited  before  mother  and  the 
ladies,"  he  said  to  himself,  "but  I  must  explain  this 
matter  to  Gronski." 

Accordingly,  at  the  close  of  the  mass,  he  turned  to 
him: 

"I  want  to  speak  with  you  about  various  matters,  but 
only  in  four  eyes.    Is  that  satisfactory  ?  " 

"All  right,"  answered  Gronski,  "when?" 

"Not  to-day,  for  I  must  first  go  to  Rzeslewo  to  question 
the  men,  look  over  the  estate,  and  then  attend  to  the  guests. 
It  will  be  best  to-morrow  evening  or  the  day  after.  We 
will  take  our  rifles  with  us  and  go  to  the  woods.  Now 
there  is  a  flight  of  woodcocks.  Dolhanski  does  not  hunt, 
so  we  will  leave  him  with  the  ladies." 

"All  right,"  repeated  Gronski. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  61 


VIII 

The  very  next  day,  towards  evening,  they  strolled  with 
their  rifles  and  a  dog  in  the  direction  of  the  mill,  and  on 
the  way  Ladislans  began  to  narrate  all  that  he  had  learned 
the  previous  day. 

"I  was  in  Rzeslewo,"  he  said,  "but  there  you  hear 
nothing  good.  The  peasants  insist  that  the  will  was  forged 
and  that  the  gentry  twisted  it  about  so  that  they  could 
control,  for  their  own  benefit,  the  money  and  the  lands. 
I  am  almost  certain  that  Laskowicz  is  pouring  oil  upon 
that  fire.  But  why?  I  cannot  understand;  neverthe- 
less, that  is  the  case.  The  landless,  in  particular,  are 
wrought  up  and  say  that  if  the  fortune  is  divided  among 
them,  they,  themselves,  will  contribute  for  a  school.  In 
reality,  they  have  no  conception  of  the  kind  of  school  Zar- 
nowski  wanted,  nor  of  the  cost  of  establishing  it." 

"In  view  of  this,  what  do  you  intend  to  do?"  asked 
Gronski. 

"I  do  not  know.  I  will  see.  In  the  meantime  I  will  try 
to  convince  them.  I  also  begged  the  rector  to  explain  the 
matter  to  them  and  spoke  with  a  few  of  the  older  husband- 
men. I  seemed  to  have  persuaded  them;  but  unfortu- 
nately with  them  it  is  thus :  that  everyone,  taken  singly,  is 
intelligent  and  even  sensible,  but  when  you  talk  to  them 
together,  it  is  like  trying  to  smash  a  stone  wall  with  your 
head." 

"That  is  nothing  strange,"  answered  Gronski;  "take 
ten  thousand  doctors  of  philosophy  together  and  they 
become  a  mob  which  is  ruled  by  gesticulations." 

"That  may  be,"  said  Ladislaus,  "but  I  did  not  wish  to 


62  WHIRLPOOLS. 

speak  of  the  will  only.  I  also  saw  the  old  Rzeslewo  overseer 
and  learned  a  great  many,  intensely  curious  things.  Figure 
to  yourself  that  our  guesses  were  wrong  and  that  Hanka 
Skibianka  is  not  the  daughter  of  Uncle  Zarnowski." 

"And  that  seemed  so  certain!  But  what  kind  of  proof 
have  you  of  this?" 

"Very  simple.  Skiba  was  a  native  of  Galicia  and 
emigrated  to  Rzeslewo  with  his  wife  and  daughter  when 
the  latter  was  five  years  old.  As  Zarnowski,  while  well, 
stayed  in  the  village  like  a  wall,  and  at  that  time  for  at 
least  ten  years  had  not  travelled  anywhere,  it  is  evident 
that  he  could  not  have  been  the  father  of  that  girl." 

"That  decides  the  matter.  I  cannot  understand  why 
he  bequeathed  to  her  ten  thousand  roubles." 

"There  is  an  interesting  history  connected  with  that," 
replied  Ladislaus.  "You  must  know  that  the  deceased, 
though  now  it  appears  that  he  loved  the  peasants,  always 
kept  them  under  very  strict  control.  He  managed  them 
according  to  the  old  system ;  that  is,  he  abused  them  from 
morning  till  night.  They  say  that  when  he  cursed  in  the 
corridor  you  could  hear  him  over  half  the  village.  A  cer- 
tain day  he  went  into  the  blacksmith's  shop  and,  finding 
something  out  of  order,  began  to  berate  the  blacksmith 
unmercifully.  The  smith  bowed  and  listened  in  humility. 
It  happened  that  little  Hanka  at  that  time  was  in  front 
of  the  smithy  and,  seeing  what  was  taking  place,  seized  a 
little  stick  and  started  to  belabor  Zarnowski  with  it  all 
over  the  legs.  'You  will  scold  Tata,  will  you?'  It  is 
said  that  the  deceased  at  first  was  dumbfounded,  but  after- 
wards burst  into  such  laughter  that  his  anger  against  the 
blacksmith  passed  away." 

"That  Hanka  pleases  me." 

"So  did  she  please  Uncle.  The  very  same  day  he  sent 
a  rouble  to  the  smith's  wife  and  ordered  her  to  bring  the 
child  to  the  manor-house.     From  that  time  he  became 


WHIRLPOOLS.  63 

attached  to  her.  He  commanded  the  old  housekeeper  to 
teach  her  to  read,  and  attended  to  it  himself.  The  child 
likewise  became  devoted  to  him,  and  this  continued  for  a 
number  of  years.  In  the  end  people  began  to  say  that  the 
master  wanted  to  keep  the  smith's  daughter  entirely  at 
his  residence  and  have  her  educated  as  a  lady,  but  this,  it 
seems,  was  untrue.  He  wanted  to  bring  her  up  as  a  stout 
village  lass  and  give  her  a  dowry.  The  Skibas,  whose  only 
child  she  was,  declared  that  they  would  not  surrender  her 
for  anything  in  the  world.  Of  course,  I  know  only  what 
the  overseer  told  me,  for  our  relations  with  the  deceased 
were  broken  on  account  of  the  mill  from  which  he  drained 
the  water  for  his  ponds." 

"And  later  the  Skibas  emigrated." 

"Yes,  but  before  that  time  Zarnowski  began  to  fail  in 
health  and  moved  to  Warsaw,  and  subsequently  resided 
abroad ;  so  that  their  relations  relaxed.  When  the  Skibas 
emigrated,  the  girl  was  seventeen.  Uncle,  on  his  return  to 
Rzeslewo  to  die,  longed  for  her  and  waited  for  some  news 
of  her.  But  as  he  had  previously  removed  even  his  furni- 
ture from  Rzeslewo  to  the  city,  she  evidently  assumed  that 
he  never  would  return  and  did  not  know  where  to  write."  i 

"The  bequest  proves  best  that  he  did  not  forget  her," 
said  Gronski,  "and  from  the  whole  will  it  appears  that  he 
was  a  man  of  better  heart  than  people  thought." 

"Surely,"  answered  Ladislaus. 

For  an  interval  they  walked  in  silence;  then  Krzycki 
resumed  the  conversation. 

"As  for  myself,  I  prefer  that  she  is  not  the  daughter  of 
the  deceased." 

"Why?    Has  that  any  bearing  on  the  bequest?  " 

"No.  Under  no  circiunstances  will  I  accept  that 
bequest.     Never ! " 

"That  is  all  very  well,  but  tell  me,  why  did  you  renounce 
it  with  such  vehemence  that  everybody  was  astonished  ?  " 


64  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"There  is  one  circumstance  which  neither  Mother  nor 
anybody  else  even  suspects,  but  which  I  will  sincerely 
confess  to  you.    In  the  proper  time  I  seduced  that  girl." 

Gronski  stood  still,  gazed  at  Ladislaus,  and  ejaculated : 

"What's  that?" 

As  he  was  not  prone  to  treat  such  matters  with  levity 
and,  besides,  the  previous  narrative  of  Krzycki  had 
awakened  within  him  a  sympathy  for  Hanka,  he  frowned 
and  asked: 

"  For  the  fear  of  God  !  You  seduced  a  child  ?  And  you 
say  it  was  done  in  the  proper  time?" 

But  Ladislaus  replied  quite  calmly: 

"Let  us  not  stop,  for  the  dog  has  gone  too  far  ahead  of 
us,"  and  here  he  pointed  at  the  white  spaniel  running 
before  them.  "I  did  not  seduce  a  child,  for  at  that  time 
she  was  sixteen.  It  happened  more  than  seven  years 
ago,  while  I  was  still  a  student  and  came  to  Jastrzeb  on 
a  vacation." 

"Were  there  any  consequences?" 

"As  far  as  I  know  there  were  none.  You  will  under- 
stand that  having  returned  the  following  vacation  and  not 
finding  either  her  or  the  Skibas,  I  did  not  ask  about  them, 
for  on  the  thief's  head  the  cap  burns.'  But  to-day  I  casu- 
ally asked  the  overseer  whether  the  Skibas  had  not  prob- 
ably emigrated  because  some  mishap  had  befallen  their 
daughter.     He  answered,  'No.'" 

"Then  it  is  better  for  her  and  for  you." 

"Certainly  it  is  much  better;  for  otherwise  the  matter 
would  have  been  brought  to  light  and  would  reach 
Mother's  ears." 

"And  in  such  case  you  would  suffer  much  unpleasant- 
ness." 

'  "  On  the  thief's  head  the  cap  bums : "  a  Polish  proverb 
meaning  that  persons,  conscious  of  guilt,  always  fear  detection. 
—  Translator. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  65 

There  was  irony  in  Gronski's  voice,  but  Ladislaus, 
absorbed  in  his  own  thoughts,  did  not  notice  it  and  said : 

"In  such  case,  I  would  have  unpleasantness  because 
Mother  in  such  matters  is  exceedingly  severe.  So,  to-day, 
after  mature  deliberation,  I  am  like  a  wolf,  who  will  com- 
mit no  injury  in  the  neighborhood  where  he  keeps  his 
nest,  but  at  that  time  I  was  more  headstrong  and  less 
careful." 

"May  the  deuce  take  you !"  exclaimed  Gronski. 

"For  what?" 

"Nothing;  speak  on." 

"I  have  not  much  more  to  say.  Recurring  to  the  will, 
you  now  understand  why  I  could  not  accept  it." 

"Perhaps  I  do,  but  tell  me  'thy  exquisite  reason,'  as 
Shakespeare  says." 

"Well,  as  to  the  seduction  of  a  girl,  that  does  happen  in 
villages,  but  to  seduce  a  girl  and  appropriate  to  one's  own 
use  that  which  had  been  provided  for  her,  —  why,  that 
would  be  too  much.  And  perhaps  she  may  be  suffering,  in 
want,  somewhere  in  America." 

"Everything  is  possible,"  answered  Gronski. 

"So  that  if  the  advertisements,  which  I  will  make,  do 
not  reach  her  notice,  in  such  case,  I  would  be  using  her 
money,  while  she  would  die  of  starvation.  No.  Every- 
thing has  its  limits.  I  am  not  extraordinarily  scrupulous, 
but  there  are  some  things  which  I  plainly  cannot  do." 

"Tell  me,  but  sincerely,  do  you  entertain  towards  her 
any  sentiment?" 

"I  will  tell  you  candidly  that  I  completely  forgot  her. 
Now  I  have  recalled  her  and,  in  truth,  I  cannot  have  any 
ill-will  towards  her.  On  the  contrary,  that  kind  of  recol- 
lection cannot,  of  course,  be  disagreeable,  unless  it  is 
linked  with  remorse.  But  we  were  mere  children  —  and  a 
pure  accident  brought  us  together." 

"Then  permit  me  to  ask  one  more  question.     If  the 

5 


66  WHIRLPOOLS. 

deceased  bequeathed  to  her  the  whole  of  Rzeslewo,  and 
the  funds,  and  if  she  did  not  within  two  years  appear  to 
claim  them,  would  you  renounce  such  a  bequest?" 

"I  cannot  answer  a  question  to  which  I  have  not  given 
any  consideration.  I  would  not  want  to  represent  myself 
to  you  any  better  or  any  worse  than  I  am.  But  this  much 
is  certain:  I  would  publish  the  advertisements,  and  would 
publish  them  for  the  two  years.  But  after  all,  of  what 
importance  to  you  can  my  answer  be?" 

And  here  he  abruptly  paused,  for  from  the  direction  of 
the  adjacent  birch  grove  some  strange  sound  reached  them, 
resembling  a  snort,  and  at  the  same  time,  above  the  tops 
of  the  birch  and  the  lime-trees,  there  appeared  upon  the 
background  of  the  twilight  a  gray  bird,  flying  in  a  straight 
line  to  the  underwood  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  meadow. 

"Woodcock!"  cried  Krzycki,  and  he  bounded  forward. 

Gronski,  following  him,  thought: 

"He  certainly  never  read  Nietzsche,  and  yet  in  his  veins, 
together  with  the  blood,  there  courses  some  noble  super- 
humanity.  If  anybody  betrayed  his  sister,  he  would 
have  shot  him  in  the  head  like  a  dog,  but  as  a  village  girl 
is  concerned,  he  does  not  feel  the  slightest  uneasiness." 

Later  they  stopped  at  the  edge  of  the  birch  grove.  For 
a  time  intense  silence  prevailed;  after  which  a  strange 
voice  resounded  again  above  their  heads  and  another 
woodcock  appeared.  Gronski  fired  and  missed;  Krzycki 
bettered  —  and  they  saw  how,  with  descending  flight,  the 
fowl  fell  in  the  underwood  farther  off.  The  white  dog  for 
a  while  lingered  in  the  dusk  of  the  thicket  and  returned 
carrying  the  dead  bird  in  his  mouth. 

"She  was  already  wounded  when  I  fired,"  said  Ladis- 
laus.     "It  is  your  bird." 

"You  are  a  gracious  host,"  answered  Gronski. 

And  again  silence  ensued,  which  even  the  rustle  of  leaves 
did  not  disturb,  as  there  was  not  a  breath  of  air.     But 


WHIRLPOOLS.  67 

after  a  time  two  woodcocks  snorted  above  their  heads, 
one  following  the  other,  at  which  Gronski  could  not  shoot, 
but  Ladislaus  winged  both  cleanly.  Finally  a  more  reck- 
less one  took  pity  on  Gronski  for  she  flew  accommodatingly 
over  him,  as  if  she  desired  to  save  him  any  inconvenience. 
He  himself  felt  ashamed  at  the  thrill  of  pleasure  he  ex- 
perienced when,  after  firing,  he  saw  the  bird  hit  the  ground ; 
and  agreeable  to  his  incorrigible  habit  of  meditation  upon 
every  phenomenon,  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  his 
strange  sensation  could  be  attributed  to  the  aboriginal 
times,  when  man  and  his  family  were  dependent  for  sub- 
sistence upon  skill  in  hunting.  Thanks  to  this  reasoning, 
he  did  not  shoot  at  another  bird  that  flew  nearer  the  edge 
of  the  underwood  and  with  which  the  flight  evidently 
ended,  as  they  waited  for  others  in  vain.  In  the  mean- 
while it  grew  dark,  and  after  an  interval  the  white  spaniel 
emerged  from  the  nightfall,  and  after  him  came  Ladislaus. 

"We  had  a  bootless  chase,"  he  said,  "but  that  is  nothing. 
In  any  case,  there  are  four  morsels  for  the  ladies.  To- 
morrow we  will  try  for  more." 

"This  was  but  a  slight  interruption  in  your  confessions," 
answered  Gronski,  slinging  his  rifle  over  his  shoulder. 

"My  confessions?"  said  Ladislaus.     "Aha! — yes." 

"You  said  that  a  mere  accident  brought  you  together." 

"That  actually  was  the  case.  But  we  must  now  go 
ahead  and  you  will  kindly  follow  in  my  footsteps,  as  it  is 
damp  here  in  some  places.  This  way  we  will  reach  the 
bridge  and  at  the  bridge  we  will  have  the  road." 

Not  until  they  were  on  the  road  did  he  commence  his 
narrative : 

"It  all  began  and  ended  in  the  mill,  which  even  at  that 
time  served  as  a  storage  place  for  hay;  and  it  did  not 
continue  more  than  a  fortnight.  It  occurred  thus:  I  once 
went  out  with  a  rifle  to  hunt  for  roebucks,  for  here  roe- 
bucks come  out  in  the  evening  at  the  clearing  on  the  stream. 


68  WHIRLPOOLS. 

It  was  very  cloudy  that  day,  but  as  it  appeared  to  be  clear 
in  the  west,  I  thought  that  the  clouds  would  pass  away.  I 
took  a  position  of  a  few  hundred  —  and  even  more  — 
steps  from  the  mill,  for  nearer  there  was  lying  on  the 
meadow,  linen,  which  might  scare  the  bucks ;  and  about  a 
half  hour  later  I  actually  killed  a  buck.  But  in  the  mean- 
while it  began  to  rain,  and  in  a  short  while  there  was 
such  a  downpour  as  I  had  never  seen  in  Jastrzeb.  I 
seized  my  buck  by  the  hind  legs  and  began  to  scamper  off 
with  all  my  might  for  the  mill.  On  the  way  I  noticed 
that  some  one  had  carried  away  the  linen.  I  rushed  into 
the  mill  and  buried  myself  up  to  the  ears  in  the  hay,  when 
I  heard  somebody  breathing  close  by  me.  I  asked :  '  Who 
is  that?'  A  thin  voice  answered  me,  'I.'  'What  kind  of 
an  I?'  'Hanka.'  'What  are  you  doing  here?'  'I  came 
for  the  linen.'  Then  it  began  to  thunder  so  much  that  I 
thought  the  mill  would  fall  to  pieces ;  —  and  not  until  it 
had  subsided  somewhat  did  I  learn  by  the  aid  of  con- 
tinuous questions  that  my  female  companion  was  from 
Rzeslewo ;  that  her  family  name  was  Skibianka,  and  that 
she  finished  her  sixteenth  year  on  St.  Anne's  Day.  Then, 
and  I  give  you  my  word,  without  any  sinister  will  or  intent, 
but  only  as  a  jest  and  because  it  is  customary  to  talk  that 
way  with  village  maids,  I  said  to  her :  '  Will  you  give  me  a 
kiss?'  She  did  not  answer,  but  as  at  that  moment  a  thun- 
der clap  pealed,  she  nestled  closer  to  me  —  perhaps  from 
fright.  And  I  kissed  her  on  the  very  lips  and,  as  I  live,  I 
had  the  same  impression  as  if  I  had  kissed  a  fragrant  flower. 
So  I  repeated  it  twice,  three  times,  and  so  on,  and  she  re- 
turned the  tenth  or  twentieth.  When  the  storm  passed 
away  and  it  became  necessary  for  us  to  part,  I  had  her 
arms  about  my  neck  and  at  the  same  time  my  cheeks  were 
wet  with  her  tears,  —  for  she  cried,  but  I  do  not  know 
whether  from  the  loss  of  innocence  or  because  I  was 
leaving." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  69 

Here,  in  spite  of  himself,  the  song  of  Ophelia,  when 
insane,  flitted  through  Krzycki's  memory. 

Ladislaus  continued: 

"On  our  departure  she  said  that  she  knew  I  was  the 
young  lord  of  Jastrzeb;  that  she  saw  me  every  Sunday 
in  Rzeslewo  and  gazed  upon  me  as  upon  some  miracle- 
working  painting." 

"Ah,  you  certainly  are  handsome  to  the  point  of  nause- 
ousness,"  interrupted  Gronski,  with  a  certain  irritation. 

"Bah  !  —  I  have  already  three  or  four  gray  hairs." 

"Surely,  from  birth.  How  often  did  you  meet 
thereafter?" 

"Before  I  left  her,  I  asked  her  whether  she  could  not 
slip  away  the  following  evening.  She  answered  that  she 
could,  because  in  the  evening  she  always  gathered  the 
linen,  which  was  being  bleached  upon  the  meadow,  for 
fear  that  some  one  might  steal  it,  and  that  besides,  in 
summer  time  she  did  not  sleep  in  the  cabin  with  her  par- 
ents, but  on  the  hay  in  the  barn.  After  that  we  met  every 
day.  I  had  to  conceal  myself  from  the  night  watch,  so 
I  slunk  out  of  the  window  into  the  garden,  though  this  was 
an  unnecessary  precaution,  for  the  watch  slept  so  soundly 
that  one  time  I  carried  off  the  trumpet  and  staff  belonging 
to  one  of  them.  It  was  amusing  also  that,  seeing  Hanka 
only  in  the  night  time,  I  did  not  know  how  she  really 
looked ;  though  in  the  moonlight  she  appeared  to  me  to  be 
pretty." 

"And  in  church?" 

"Our  collator's  pew  is  near  the  altar,  while  the  girls 
knelt  in  the  rear.  There  are  so  many  of  the  same  red  and 
yellow  shawls,  studded  with  so  many  flowers,  that  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  distinguish  one  from  the  other.  At  times  it  seemed 
to  me  that  I  saw  her  in  the  distance,  but  I  could  not  see  her 
perfectly.  The  vacation  soon  ended,  and  when  I  returned 
the  following  season  the  Skibas  were  gone." 


70  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"Did  you  bid  her  farewell?" 

"I  admit  that  I  did  not.    I  preferred  to  avoid  that." 

"And  did  you  ever  long  for  her?" 

"Yes.  In  Warsaw  I  longed  for  her  intensely,  and  during 
the  first  month  I  was  deeply  in  love  with  her.  After  my 
return  to  Jastrzeb,  when  I  again  saw  the  mill  the  feeling 
revived,  but  at  the  same  time  I  was  content  that  every- 
thing should  drop,  as  it  were,  into  the  water  and  that 
Mother  should  not  know  anything  about  it." 

Conversing  in  this  manner,  they  turned  from  the  side 
road  to  the  shady  walk  leading  to  the  manor-house,  whose 
low  lights,  from  a  distance  of  about  a  verst,  at  times 
glistened  through  the  boughs  of  the  linden,  and  then 
again  hid  themselves,  screened  by  the  thick  foliage.  The 
night  was  starry  and  fair.  It  was,  however,  quite  dark,  for 
the  moon  had  not  yet  risen  and  the  copper  glow  upon  the 
eastern  sky  announced  its  near  approach.  There  was  not 
the  slightest  breath  of  air.  The  great  nocturnal  stillness 
was  broken  by  the  barks  of  dogs,  barely  audible,  from  the 
distant  slumbering  village.  Involuntarily,  Gronski  and 
Ladislaus  began  to  speak  in  lower  tones.  However, 
everything  was  not  asleep,  for  a  few  hundred  paces  from 
the  walk,  on  the  meadow  near  the  river,  firelights  were 
intermittingly  flashing. 

"Those  are  peasants  pasturing  the  horses  and  catching 
crawfish  by  the  lights  of  the  resinous  wood,"  said  Krzycki. 
"I  even  hear  one  of  them  riding  away." 

And  in  fact  at  that  moment  they  heard  on  the  meadows 
the  clatter  of  the  horse's  hoofs,  deadened  by  the  grass,  and 
immediately  afterwards  the  loud  voice  of  a  herdsman  re- 
sounded, who,  amidst  the  nocturnal  quiet,  shouted  in  a 
drawling  tone: 

"Wojtek  —  Bring  with  you  some  more  fagots,  for  these 
are  not  sufficient." 

The  night  rider,  having  reached  the  road,  soon  passed 


WHIRLPOOLS.  71 

by  the  chatting  friends  Hke  a  shadow.  He,  however, 
recognized  the  young  heir,  as  in  riding  by  them  he  pulled 
off  his  cap  and  saluted : 

"Praised  be  the  Lord!" 

"Now  and  forever." 

And  for  some  time  they  walked  in  silence. 

Ladislaus  began  to  whistle  quietly  and  to  shout  at  the 
dog,  but  Gronski,  who  was  cogitating  upon  what  had 
occurred  in  the  mill,  said: 

"Do  you  know  that  if  you  were  an  Englishman,  for 
instance,  your  idyl  would  have  ended,  in  all  probability, 
differently,  and  you  would  throughout  your  life  have  had 
a  chaste  remembrance,  in  which  there  would  be  great 
poetry." 

"We  eat  less  fish,  therefore  have  a  temperament  diflFer- 
ing  from  the  Englishmen.  As  to  poetry,  perhaps  there 
also  was  a  little  of  it  in  our  affair." 

"It  is  not  so  much  different  temperament  as  different 
usages,  and  in  that  is  the  relief.  They  have  a  soul,  health- 
ier and  at  the  same  time,  more  independent,  and  do  not 
borrow  their  morality  from  French  books." 

After  which  he  meditated  for  a  while  and  then  con- 
tinued : 

"You  say  that  in  your  relations  there  was  a  little  poetry. 
Certainly,  but  looking  at  it  only  from  Hanka's  side,  not 
yours.  In  her,  really,  there  is  something  poetical,  for, 
deducing  from  your  own  words,  she  loved  you  truly." 

"That  is  certain,"  said  Ladislaus.  "Who  knows 
whether  I  ever  in  my  life  will  be  loved  as  much  ?" 

"I  think  that  you  will  not.  For  that  reason,  I  am  as- 
tonished that  this  stone  should  drop  into  the  depth  of  your 
forgetfulness  and  that  you  should  have  so  completely 
effaced  it." 

These  words  touched  Krzycki  somewhat,  so  he  replied : 

"Candidly  speaking,  I  related  all  this  to  you  for  the 


72  WHIRLPOOLS. 

purpose  of  explaining  why  I  do  not  accept  the  bequest, 
and,  in  the  naivete  of  my  soul,  I  thought  that  you  would 
praise  me.  But  you  are  only  seeking  sore  spots.  Indeed, 
I  would,  after  all,  have  preferred  that  this  had  not  hap- 
pened, but,  since  it  happened,  it  is  best  not  to  think  of  it. 
For  if  I  had  as  many  millions  as  there  are  girls  seduced 
every  year  in  the  villages,  I  could  purchase  not  only  Rzes- 
lewo,  but  one  half  of  the  county.  I  can  assure  you  that 
they  themselves  do  not  look  upon  it  as  a  tragedy,  neither 
do  such  things  end  in  misfortune.  It  would  plainly  be 
laughable  if  I  took  this  to  heart  more  than  Hanka  who  in 
all  probability  did  not  take  it  to  heart  and  does  not." 

"How  do  you  know?" 

"That  is  usually  the  case.  But  if  it  were  the  reverse, 
what  can  I  do  ?  Surely  I  will  not  journey  across  the  ocean 
to  seek  her.  In  a  book  that  might  perhaps  appear  very 
romantic,  but  in  reality  I  have  an  estate  which  I  cannot 
abandon  and  a  family  which  it  is  not  permissible  for  me 
to  sacrifice.  Such  a  Hanka,  with  whom,  speaking  paren- 
thetically, you  have  soured  me  by  recalling,  may  be  the 
most  honest  girl,  but  to  marry  her  —  of  course  I  could 
not  marry  her;  therefore  what,  after  all,  can  I  do?" 

"I  do  not  know;  but  you  must  agree  that  there  is  a  cer- 
tain moral  unsavoriness  in  the  situation  in  which  a  man, 
after  committing  a  wrong,  afterwards  asks  himself  or 
others,  'What  can  I  do?'" 

"Oh,  that  was  only  a  fa9on  de  parler,"  replied  Krzycki, 
"for,  on  the  whole,  I  know  perfectly.  I  will  publish  the 
advertisements  and  with  that  everything  will  end.  The 
penance,  which  the  priest  at  the  proper  time  imposed  upon 
me,  I  have  performed,  and  I  do  not  intend  to  make  any 
further  atonement." 

To  this  Gronski  said: 

"Sero  molunt  deorum  molse.  Do  you  understand 
what  that  means  in  Polish?" 


WHIRLPOOLS.  73 

"Having  assumed  the  management  of  Jastrzeb,  I  sowed 
all  my  latinity  over  its  soil,  but  it  has  not  taken  root." 

"That  means:   The  mills  of  the  gods  grind  late." 

Krzycki  began  to  laugh  and,  pointing  his  hand  in  the 
direction  of  the  old  mill,  said: 

"That  one  will  not  grind  anything  any  more;  I  guaran- 
tee that." 

Further  conversation  was  interrupted  by  their  meeting 
near  the  gates  two  indistinct  forms,  with  which  they  al- 
most collided,  for  though  the  moon  had  already  ascended, 
in  the  old  linden  walk  it  was  completely  dark. 

Ladislaus  thought  that  they  were  the  lady  visitors  enjoy- 
ing an  evening  stroll,  but  for  certainty  asked,  "Who 
is  there?" 

"We,"  answered  an  unknown  feminine  voice. 

"And  who  in  particular?" 

"Servants  of  Pani  Otocka  and  Miss  Anney." 

The  young  man  recalled  the  young  girl  whose  dark 
head  obstructed  his  view  of  the  lustrous  hair  of  the  Eng- 
lish woman  during  the  May  mass. 

"Aha!"  he  said.  "Do  not  you  young  giris  fear  to 
walk  in  the  darkness?  A  were-wolf  might  carry  off  one 
of  you." 

"We  are  not  scared,"  answered  the  same  voice. 

"And  perhaps  I  am  a  were-wolf?" 

"A  were-wolf  does  not  look  like  that." 

Both  girls  began  to  laugh  and  withdrew  a  few  steps; 
at  the  same  time  a  bright  ray  darted  through  the  leaves 
and  illumined  the  white  forehead,  black  eyebrows,  and 
the  whites  of  the  eyes  of  one  of  them,  which  glittered 
greenishly. 

Krzycki,  who  was  flattered  by  the  words  that  a  were- 
wolf did  not  look  like  that,  gazed  at  those  eyes  and  said : 

"Good-night!" 

"Good-night!" 


74  WHIRLPOOLS. 

The  ladies,  with  Dolhanski,  were  already  in  the  dining- 
room,  as  the  service  of  the  supper  awaited  only  the  hunters 
who,  after  their  return,  withdrew  to  change  their  apparel. 
Marynia  sat  at  one  end  of  the  table  with  the  children  and 
conversed  a  little  with  them  and  a  little  with  Laskowicz, 
who  was  relating  something  to  her  with  great  animation, 
gazing  all  the  time  at  her  with  intense  fixedness  and  also 
with  wariness  that  no  one  should  observe  him.  Gronski, 
however,  did  observe  him  and,  as  the  young  student  had 
interested  and  disquieted  him  from  the  time  he  learned 
of  his  agitation  among  the  Rzeslewo  peasants,  he  desired 
to  participate  in  the  conversation.  But  Marynia  at  that 
moment  having  heard  the  conclusion,  joined  the  other 
ladies,  who,  having  previously  heard  from  the  balcony 
the  shooting  in  the  direction  of  the  old  mill,  inquired  about 
the  results  of  the  hunt.  It  appearing  that  neither  Miss 
Anney  nor  the  two  sisters  had  ever  seen  woodcocks  except 
upon  a  platter,  the  old  servant  upon  Krzycki's  order 
brought  the  four  lifeless  victims.  They  viewed  them  with 
curiosity,  expressed  tardy  commiseration  for  their  tragic 
fate,  and  asked  about  their  manner  of  life.  Ladislaus, 
whom  the  animal  world  had  interested  from  early  years, 
began  to  relate  at  the  supper  the  strange  habits  of  those 
birds  and  their  mysterious  flights.  While  thus  occupied 
he  paid  particular  attention  to  Pani  Otocka,  for  he  was, 
for  the  first  time,  struck  by  her  uncommonly  fine  stature. 
On  the  whole,  he  preferred  other,  less  subtile  kinds  of 
beauty,  and  prized,  above  all  else,  buxom  women.  He 
obsen^ed,  however,  that  on  that  night  Pani  Otocka  looked 
extraordinarily  handsome.  Her  unusually  delicate  com- 
plexion appeared  yet  more  delicate  in  her  black  lace- 
stitched  dress,  and  in  her  eyes,  in  the  outlines  of  her  lips, 
in  the  expression  of  her  countenance,  and  in  her  whole 
form  there  was  something  so  maidenly  that  whoever  was 
not  aware  of  her  widowhood  would  have  taken  her  for  a 


WHIRLPOOLS.  75 

maid  of  a  good  country  family.  Ladislaus,  from  the  first 
arrival  of  these  ladies,  had  indeed  enlisted  on  the  side  of 
Miss  Anney,  but  at  the  present  moment  he  had  to  con- 
cede in  his  soul  that  the  Englishwoman  was  not  a  specimen 
of  so  refined  a  race  and,  what  was  worse,  she  seemed  to 
him  that  day  less  beautiful  than  this  "subtile  cousin." 

But  at  the  same  time  he  made  a  strange  discovery, 
namely:  that  this  observation  not  only  did  not  lessen  his 
sympathy  for  the  light-haired  lady,  but  in  some  manner 
moved  him  strongly  and  inclined  him  to  a  greater  friend- 
ship for  her;  as  if  by  that  comparison  with  Pani  Otocka 
he  had  done  an  undeserved  wrong  to  the  Englishwoman, 
for  which  he  ought  to  apologize  to  her.  "I  must  be  on  my 
guard,"  he  thought,  "otherwise  I  will  fall."  He  began  to 
search  for  the  celestial  flow  in  her  eyes  and,  finding  it, 
drank  its  dim  azure,  drop  by  drop. 

In  the  meantime  Pani  Krzycki,  desirous  of  learning  the 
earliest  plans  of  the  sisters,  began  to  ask  Pani  Otocka 
whether  they  were  going  to  travel  abroad,  and  where. 

"The  doctor,"  she  said,  "sends  me  to  mineral  baths  on 
account  of  my  rheumatism,  but  I  would  be  delighted  to 
spend  one  more  summer  with  you  somewhere." 

"And  to  us  your  sojourn  at  Krynica  left  the  most  agree- 
able memories,"  replied  Pani  Otocka;  "particularly,  as 
we  are  in  perfect  health,  we  willingly  would  remain  in  the 
village  and  more  willingly  would  invite  Aunt  to  us,  with  her 
entire  household,  were  it  not  that  the  times  are  so  troub- 
lous and  it  is  unknown  what  may  happen  on  the  morrow. 
But  if  it  will  quiet  down.  Aunt,  after  her  recovery,  must 
certainly  pay  us  a  visit." 

Saying  this,  she  ardently  kissed  the  hand  of  Pani 
Krzycki  who  said: 

"How  good  you  are  and  how  lovable!  I  would  with 
all  my  heart  go  to  you,  only,  with  my  health,  I  must  not 
obey  the  heart  but  various  hidden  ailments.    Besides,  the 


76  WHIRLPOOLS. 

times  are  really  troublous  and  I  understand  it  is  rather 
dangerous  for  ladies  to  remain  alone  in  the  villages.  Have 
you  any  reliable  people  in  Zalesin?" 

"I  do  not  fear  my  own  people  as  they  were  very  much 
attached  to  my  husband,  and  now  that  attachment  has 
passed  to  me.  My  husband  taught  them,  above  all  things, 
patriotism,  and  at  the  same  time  introduced  improve- 
ments which  did  not  exist  elsewhere.  We  have  an  or- 
phanage, hospital,  baths,  stores,  and  fruit  nurseries  for 
the  distribution  of  small  trees.  He  even  caused  artesian 
wells  to  be  sunk  to  provide  enough  healthful  water  for  the 
village." 

Dolhanski,  hearing  this,  leaned  towards  Krzycki  and 
whispered : 

"A  capitalist's  fantasy.  He  regarded  his  wife  and 
Zalesin  as  two  playthings  which  he  fondled,  and  played 
the  role  of  a  philanthropist  because  he  could  afford  it." 

But  Pani  Krzycki  again  began  to  ask: 

"Who  now  is  in  charge  of  Zalesin?" 

And  the  young  widow,  ha\'ing  cast  off  a  momentary 
sad  recollection,  answered  with  a  smile: 

"In  the  neighborhood  they  say  Dworski  rules  Zalesin. 
—  He  is  the  old  accountant  of  my  husband  and  is  very  de- 
voted to  us.  —  I  rule  Dworski,  and  Marynia  rules  me." 

"And  that  is  the  truth,"  interjected  Miss  Anney,  "with 
this  addition,  and  me  also." 

To  this  Marynia  shook  her  head  and  said : 

"Oh,  Aunt,  if  you  only  knew  how  they  sometimes  twit 
me!" 

"Somehow  I  do  not  see  that,  but  I  think  that  the  time 
will  come  when  somebody  will  rule  you  also." 

"It  has  already  come,"  broke  out  Marynia. 

"So?    That  is  curious.    Who  is  that  despot?" 

And  the  little  violinist,  pointing  with  a  quick  movement 
of  her  little  finger  at  Gronski,  said : 

"That  gentleman." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  77 

"Now  I  understand,"  said  Dolhanski,  "why,  after  our 
return  from  the  notary,  he  had  a  teapot  full  of  hot  water 
over  his  head." 

Gronski  shrugged  his  shoulders,  like  a  man  who  had 
been  charged  with  unheard-of  things,  and  exclaimed: 

"I?  A  despot?  Why,  I  am  a  victim,  the  most  hypno- 
tized of  all." 

"Then  Pan  Laskowicz  is  the  hypnotizer,  not  I,"  an- 
swered the  young  miss,  "for  he  himself  at  supper  was 
telling  me  about  hypnotism  and  explaining  what  it  is." 

Gronski  looked  toward  the  other  end  of  the  table,  in  the 
direction  of  the  student,  and  saw  his  eyes,  strained,  re- 
fractory, and  glistening,  fastened  upon  Marynia. 

"Aha!"  he  thought,  "he  actually  is  trying  his  powers 
upon  her." 

He  frowned  and,  addressing  her,  said : 

"Nobody  in  truth  knows  what  hypnotism  is.  We  see 
its  manifestations  and  nothing  more.  But  how  did  Las- 
kowicz explain  it  to  you?" 

"He  told  me  what  I  already  had  heard  before;  that  the 
person  put  to  sleep  must  perform  everything  which  the 
operator  commands,  and  even  when  awakened  must  sub- 
mit to  the  operator's  will." 

"That  is  untrue,"  said  Gronski. 

"And  I  think  likewise.  He  claimed  also  that  he  could 
put  me  to  sleep  very  easily,  but  I  feel  that  he  cannot." 

"Excellent!     Do  such  things  interest  you?" 

"Hypnotism  a  little.  But  if  it  is  to  be  anything  mysteri- 
ous, then  I  prefer  to  hear  about  spirits;  especially  do  I 
like  to  hear  the  stories  which  one  of  our  neighbors  relates 
about  fairies.  He  says  they  are  called  sprites,  and  indulge 
in  all  kinds  of  tricks  in  old  houses,  and  they  can  be  seen  at 
night  time  through  the  windows  in  rooms  where  the  fire 
is  burning  in  the  hearth.  There  they  join  hands  and 
dance  before  the  fire." 


78  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"Those  are  gay  fairies." 

"And  not  malicious,  though  mischievous.  Our  aged 
neighbor  piously  believes  in  them  and  quarrels  about  them 
with  the  rector.  He  says  his  house  is  full  of  them  and  that 
they  are  continually  playing  pranks:  sometimes  pulling 
the  coils  of  the  clock  to  make  it  ring;  sometimes  hiding 
his  slippers  and  other  things;  making  noise  during  the 
night;  hitching  crickets  to  nut-shells  and  driving  with 
them  over  the  rooms;  in  the  kitchen  they  skim  the  milk 
and  throw  peas  into  the  fire  to  make  them  pop.  If  you  do 
not  vex  them,  they  are  benevolent,  driving  away  spiders 
and  mice,  and  watching  that  the  mushrooms  do  not  soil 
the  floor.  This  neighbor  of  ours  at  one  time  was  a  man  of 
great  education,  but  in  his  old  age  has  become  queer,  and 
he  tells  us  this  in  all  seriousness.  We,  naturally,  laugh  at 
it,  but  I  confess  that  I  very  much  wish  that  such  a  world 
did  exist ;  —  strange  and  mysterious  1  There  would  be  in 
it  something  so  good  and  nice,  and  less  sadness." 

Here  she  began  to  look  off  with  dreamy  eyes  and  after- 
wards continued: 

"I  remember  also  that  whenever  we  discussed  Boeck- 
lin's  pictures,  those  fauns,  nymphs,  and  dryads  which  he 
painted,  I  always  regretted  that  all  that  did  not  exist  in 
reality.  And  sometimes  it  seemed  to  me  that  they  might 
exist,  only  we  do  not  see  them.  For,  in  truth,  who  knows 
what  happens  in  the  woods  at  noontime  or  night  time, 
when  no  one  is  there ;  or  in  the  mists  during  the  moonlight 
or  upon  the  ponds  ?  Belief  in  such  a  world  is  not  wholly 
childish,  since  we  believe  in  angels." 

"I  also  believe  in  fairies,  nymphs,  dryads,  and  angels," 
answered  Gronski. 

"Really?"  she  asked,  "for  you  always  speak  to  me  as 
to  a  child." 

And  he  answered  her  only  mentally : 

"I  speak  as  with  a  child,  but  I  idolize." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  79 

But  further  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the  servant, 
who  informed  Ladislaus  that  the  steward  of  Rzeslewo  had 
arrived  and  desired  to  see  the  "bright  young  lord"  on  a 
very  important  matter.  Krzycki  apologized  to  the  com- 
pany and  with  the  expression,  customary  with  country 
husbandmen,  "What  is  up  now?"  left  the  room.  As 
the  supper  was  almost  finished,  they  all  began  to  move, 
after  the  example  of  the  lady  of  the  house,  who,  however, 
for  a  while  endeavored  in  vain  to  rise,  for  the  rheumatism 
during  the  past  two  days  afflicted  her  more  and  more. 
Similar  attacks  occurred  often  and  in  such  cases  her  son 
usually  conducted  her  from  room  to  room.  But  in  this  in- 
stance Miss  Anney,  who  sat  nearest  to  her,  came  to  her 
assistance  and,  taking  her  in  her  arms,  lifted  her  easily, 
skillfully,  and  without  any  exertion. 

"I  thank  you,  I  thank  you,"  said  Pani  Krzycki,  "for 
otherwise  I  would  have  to  wait  for  Laudie.  Ah,  my  God, 
how  good  it  is  to  be  strong !" 

"Oh,  in  me  you  have  a  veritable  Samson,"  answered 
Miss  Anney  in  her  pleasant,  subdued  voice. 

But  at  that  moment  Ladislaus,  who  evidently  recalled 
that  he  had  to  escort  his  mother,  rushed  into  the  room  and, 
seeing  what  was  taking  place,  exclaimed : 

"Permit  me,  Miss  Anney.  That  is  my  duty.  You  will 
fatigue  yourself." 

"Not  the  least." 

"Ah,  Laudie,"  said  Pani  Krzycki,  "to  tell  the  truth,  I 
do  not  know  which  one  of  you  two  is  the  stronger." 

"Is  it  truly  so?"  he  asked,  looking  with  rapt  eyes  upon 
the  slender  form  of  the  girl. 

And  she  began  to  wink  with  her  eyes  in  token  that  such 
was  the  fact,  but  at  the  same  time  blushed  as  if  asham.ed 
of  her  unwomanly  strength. 

Ladislaus,  however,  assisted  her  to  seat  his  mother  at 
the  table  in  the  small  salon,  at  which  she  was  accustomed 


80  WHIRLPOOLS. 

to  amuse  herself  in  the  evenings  by  laying  out  cards  to 
forecast  fortunes.  On  this  occasion  he  unintentionally 
brushed  his  shoulder  against  Miss  Anney's  shoulder  and, 
when  he  felt  those  steel-like  young  muscles,  a  violent 
thrill  .suddenly  penetrated  through  him  and  at  the  same 
time  he  was  possessed  by  a  perception  of  some  elementary, 
unheard-of,  blissful  power.  If  he  were  Gronski  and  ever 
in  his  life  had  read  Lucretius'  hymn  to  Venus,  he  would 
have  been  able  to  know  and  name  that  power.  But  as  he 
was  only  a  twenty-seven-year-old,  healthy  nobleman,  he 
only  thought  that  the  moments  in  which  he  would  be  free 
to  hug  such  a  girl  to  his  bosom  would  be  worth  the  sacri- 
fice of  Jastrzeb,  Rzeslewo,  and  even  life. 

But  in  the  meanwhile  he  had  to  return  to  the  steward  of 
Rzeslewo,  who  waited  for  him  in  the  office  upon  an  urgent 
matter.  Their  talk  lasted  so  long  that  when  Ladislaus 
reappeared  in  the  small  salon,  the  young  ladies  had  al- 
ready withdrawn  to  their  rooms.  Only  his  mother,  who 
was  purposely  waiting,  desirous  of  knowing  what  was  the 
matter,  remained,  with  Gronski  and  with  Dolhanski,  who 
was  playing  baccarat  with  himself. 

"What  is  the  news?"   asked  Pani  Krzycki. 

"Absolutely  nothmg  good.  Only  let  Mamma  not  get 
alarmed,  for  we  are  of  course  here  in  Jastrzeb  and  not  in 
Rzeslewo;  and  eventually  we  can  brush  this  aside  with 
our  hands.  But  nevertheless,  strange  things  are  occurring 
there  and  Kapuscinski,  in  any  event,  did  right  to  come 
here." 

"For  the  Lord's  sake,  who  is  Kapuscinski?"  exclaimed 
Dolhanski,  dropping  the  monocle  from  his  eye. 

"The  steward  of  Rzeslewo.  He  says  that  some  unknown 
persons,  probably  from  Warsaw,  appeared  there  and  are 
acting  like  gray  geese  in  the  skies.  They  issue  commands, 
summon  the  peasants,  incite  them,  promising  them  the 
lands  and  even  order  them  to  take  possession  of  the  stock. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  81 

They  predict  it  will  be  the  same  in  all  Poland  as  it  is  in 
Rzeslewo  —  " 

"And  what  of  the  peasants?  what  of  the  peasants?" 
interrupted  Pani  Krzycki. 

"Some  believe  them,  while  others  do  not.  The  more 
sensible,  who  attempt  to  resist,  are  threatened  with  death. 
The  manor  farm-hands  will  not  obey  Kapuscinski  and  say 
that  they  will  only  pasture  and  feed  the  cattle,  but  will  not 
touch  any  other  work.  About  fifteen  of  the  tenants  are 
preparing  to  go  to  the  woods  with  hatchets  and  they  declare 
that,  if  the  foresters  interfere  with  their  right  to  cut  wood, 
they  will  give  them  a  good  drubbing.  Kapuscinski  has 
lost  his  head  completely  and  came  to  me,  as  one  of  the 
executors  of  the  will,  for  advice." 

"And  what  did  you  tell  him?" 

"As  he  declared  to  me  that  he  was  not  certain  of  his 
life  in  Rzeslewo,  I  advised  him  by  all  means  to  pass  the 
night  with  us  in  Jastrzeb.  I  wanted  first  to  consult  Mother 
and  you,  for  in  fact,  advice  under  the  circumstances  is 
difficult  to  give  and  the  situation  is  grave.  Of  course  such 
a  situation  cannot  continue  very  long,  and  sooner  or  later 
the  peasants  themselves  will  suffer  the  most  by  it.  This 
we  must  positively  prevent.  I  will  candidly  state  that  for 
the  past  two  days,  I  have  been  considering  whether  it 
would  not  be  better  if  I  renounced  the  curatorship  of  the 
new  school  and  Rzeslewo  matters  in  general.  I  hesitated 
only  because  it  is  a  public  service,  but  in  truth,  I  have 
so  much  work  to  attend  to  here  in  Jastrzeb,  that  I  do  not 
know  on  what  I  shall  lay  my  hands  first.  But  now,  since 
it  is  necessary  to  rescue  the  peasants,  and  since  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  danger  is  connected  with  it,  I  cannot 
retreat." 

"I  will  fear  about  you,  but  I  understand  you,"  said 
Pani  Krzycki. 

"  I  think  that  by  all  means,  I  should  drive  over  to-morrow 

6 


82  WHIRLPOOLS. 

morning  to  Rzeslewo,  but  if  I  do  not  secure  a  hearing  there, 
then  what  is  to  be  done?" 

"You  will  not  get  any,"  said  Dolhanski,  not  pausing  in 
his  distribution  of  the  cards. 

"If  you  go,  I  will  go  with  you,"  announced  Pani 
Krzycki. 

"  Ah,  that  would  be  the  only  thing  needful  I  Let  Mamma 
only  think  that  in  such  a  case  I  would  be  terribly  hampered 
and  certainly  would  not  gain  anything." 

After  which  he  kissed  her  hand  and  said : 

"  No,  no !  Mamma  does  not  understand  that  matters 
would  be  worse  and,  if  Mamma  insists,  then  I  would  rather 
not  go  at  all." 

Gronski  propped  his  head  upon  his  hand  and  thought 
that  it  was  easier  to  analyze  at  a  desk  the  various  phases 
of  life  than  to  offer  sound  advice  in  the  presence  of  urgent 
events.  Dolhanski  at  last  stopped  playing  baccarat  with 
himself  and  said : 

"  The  position  we  are  placed  in  passes  all  comprehension. 
But  were  we  in  any  other  country,  the  police  would  be 
summoned  and  the  matter  would  end  in  a  day." 

To  this  Ladislaus  replied  with  some  anger: 

"As  for  that,  permit  me!  I  will  not  summon  the 
police ;  not  only  not  against  those  peasants,  but  not  even 
against  those  forbidden  figures  who  now  haunt  Rzeslewo. 
No,  never!" 

"Very  well;  long  live  an  epoch  of  true  freedom !" 

"Who  knows,"  said  Gronski,  "but  that  the  summoning 
of  the  police  would  just  suit  these  gentlemen?" 

"In  what  way?" 

"Because  they  themselves,  at  the  proper  season,  would 
disappear,  but  later  would  incite  the  people  again  and 
would  cry  all  over  Poland,  '  Behold !  who  appeals  to  the 
police  against  peasants.' " 

"That    is    a  pertinent  observation,"   said   Ladislaus; 


WHIRLPOOLS.  83 

"now  I  understand  various  things  which  I  did  not  com- 
prehend before." 

"From  the  opening  of  the  will,"  said  Dolhanski,  "Rzes- 
lewo  and  its  inhabitants  did  not  concern  me  in  the  least. 
However,  one  thought  occurred  to  me  while  dealing  the 
cards.  Laudie  will  drive  over  to  Rzeslewo  to-morrow  on  a 
fruitless  errand.  He  may  receive  only  a  sound  beating, 
without  benefiting  anybody  — " 

"It  has  never  yet  come  to  that,  and  that  is  something  I 
do  not  fear.  Our  family  has  lived  in  Jastrzeb  from  time 
immemorial,  and  the  peasants  of  this  neighborhood  would 
not  raise  their  hands  against  a  Krzycki  — " 

"Above  all,  do  not  interrupt  me,"  said  Dolhanski.  "If 
you  do  not  get  a  sound  thrashing  —  and  I  assume  that 
you  may  not  —  then  you  will  not  secure  a  hearing,  as  you 
yourself  foresaw  a  little  while  ago.  If  we  two,  that  is, 
Gronski  and  myself,  went  over  there,  we  would  not  effect 
anything  because  they  have  seen  us  at  the  funeral,  and 
the  estimable  Slavonians  of  Rzeslewo  look  upon  us  as  men 
who  have  a  personal  interest  in  the  matter.  It  will  be 
necessary  that  some  one  unknown  go  there,  who  will  not 
argue,  but  who  will  act  as  if  he  had  the  right  and  power 
and  will  command  the  peasants  to  behave  peaceably. 
Since  you  are  so  much  concerned  about  them,  that  will 
be  the  only  way.  So,  then,  since  by  virtue  of  the  unfathom- 
able decrees  of  Providence  there  exist  in  this  beloved  land 
of  ours  National  Democrats,  whom,  parenthetically  speak- 
ing, I  cannot  endure  any  more  than  the  seven-spot  of  clubs, 
but  who,  in  all  probability,  have  fists  as  sweaty  and  as  heavy 
as  the  socialists,  —  could  you  not  settle  this  matter  with 
their  assistance?" 

"Of  course,  naturally,  naturally!"  exclaimed  Gronski; 
"the  peasants,  after  all,  have  great  confidence  in  the  Na- 
tional party." 

"I  also  belong  to  that  party  with  my  whole  heart,"  said 


84  WHIRLPOOLS. 

Krzycki,  "but,  sitting,  like  a  stone,  in  Jastrzeb,  I  do  not 
know  to  whom  to  apply." 

"In  any  case,  not  to  me,"  said  Dolhanski. 

But  Gronski,  though  he  did  not  belong  to  any  faction, 
thoroughly  knew  the  city  and  easily  suggested  the  addresses 
and  the  manner  in  which  the  party  could  be  notified.  He 
afterwards  said: 

"And  now  I  will  give  you  one  word  of  advice,  the  same 
which  you,  Laudie,  gave  Kapuscinski,  namely,  that  we  go 
to  sleep,  for  you,  especially,  madam," — here  he  addressed 
the  lady  of  the  house  — .  *  'were  entitled  to  that  long  ago. 
Is  it  agreed?" 

"Agreed,"  answered  Ladislaus;  "but  wait  a  few  min- 
utes. After  conducting  Mother,  I  will  accompany  you 
upstairs." 

Within  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he  returned,  but  instead  of 
bidding  his  guests  the  promised  "good-night"  he  drew 
closer  to  them  and  resumed  the  interrupted  conversation. 

"I  did  not  wish  to  relate  everything  before  Mother," 
he  said,  "in  order  not  to  alarm  her.  But  in  fact  the  matter 
is  much  worse.  So,  speaking  first  of  what  concerns  us, 
imagine  for  yourself  that  those  strangers  immediately 
after  their  arrival  asked  first  of  all  about  Laskowicz,  and 
that  Laskowicz  was  in  Rzeslewo  this  afternoon  and  re- 
turned here  an  hour  before  we  came  back  from  the  hunt. 
Now  it  is  positively  certain  that  we  have  in  our  midst  an 
agitator." 

"Then  throw  him  out,"  interrupted  Dolhanski.  "If  I 
were  in  your  place,  I  would  have  done  that  long  ago,  if 
only  for  the  reason  that  he  has  eyes  set  closely  to  each 
other,  like  a  baboon.  In  a  man  that  indicates  fanaticism 
and  stupidity." 

"Unquestionably  I  will  be  done  with  him  to-morrow, 
and  I  would  end  with  him  even  to-day,  notwithstanding 
the  late  hour,  were  it  not  that  I  desire  first  to  calm  down 


WHIRLPOOLS.  85 

and  not  create  any  foolish  disturbance.  I  do  not  like  this, 
and  I  would  not  advise  those  apostles  to  peer  into  Jastrzeb. 
As  I  live,  I  would  not  advise  it." 

"Have  they  any  intention  of  paying  you  a  visit?" 

"Certainly.  If  not  to  me  personally,  then  to  my  farm- 
hands. They  announced  in  Rzeslewo  that  they  would 
cause  an  agrarian  strike  in  the  entire  vicinity." 

"Then  my  advice,  to  drive  out  one  wedge  with  another, 
is  the  most  feasible." 

"Assuredly.     I  will  adopt  that  course  without  delay." 

"I  know,"  said  Gronski,  "that  they  want  to  inaugurate 
agrarian  strikes  throughout  the  whole  country.  They 
will  not  succeed  as  the  peasant  element  will  repel  their 
efforts.  They,  like  most  people  from  the  cities,  do  not 
take  into  account  the  relation  of  man  to  the  soil.  Never- 
theless, there  will  be  considerable  losses  and  the  confusion 
will  increase,  and  this  is  what  they  chiefly  care  for.  Ah  1 
Shakespeare's  'sun  of  foolery'  not  only  shines  in  our  land, 
but  is  in  the  zenith." 

"If  we  are  talking  of  that  kind  of  a  sun,  we  can,  like  a 
former  king  of  Spain,  say  that  it  never  sets  in  our  pos- 
sessions." 

But  Gronski  spoke  farther: 

"Socialism  —  good!  That,  of  course,  is  a  thing  more 
ancient  than  Menenius  Agrippa.  That  river  has  flown  for 
ages.  At  times,  when  covered  by  other  ideas,  it  coursed 
underground,  and  later  emerged  into  the  broad  daylight. 
At  times  it  subsides,  then  swells  and  overflows.  At  present 
we  have  a  flood,  very  menacing,  which  may  submerge 
not  only  factories,  cities,  and  countries,  but  even  civiliza- 
tion. Above  all,  it  threatens  France,  where  comfort  and 
money  have  displaced  all  other  ideas.  Socialism  is  the 
inevitable  result  of  that.  Capital  wedded  to  demagogism 
cannot  breed  any  other  child;  and  if  that  child  has  the 
head  of  a  monster  and  mole,  so  much  the  worse  for  the 


86  WHIRLPOOLS. 

father.  It  demonstrates  that  superfluous  wealth  may  be  a 
national  danger.  But  this  is  not  strange.  Privilege  is 
an  injustice  against  which  men  have  fought  for  centuries. 
Formerly  the  princes,  clergy,  and  nobility  were  vested 
with  it.  To-day  nobody  has  any;  money  possesses  all. 
In  truth,  Labor  has  stepped  forth  to  combat  with  it." 

"This  begins  to  smell  to  me  like  an  apology  for  social- 
ism," observed  Dolhanski. 

"No.  It  is  not  an  apology.  For,  above  all  things, 
viewing  this  matter  from  above,  what  is  this  new  current 
but  one  more  delusion  in  the  human  chase  after  happiness  ? 
For  myself,  I  only  contend  that  socialism  has  come,  or 
rather,  it  has  gathered  strength,  because  it  was  bound  to 
grow.  I  care  only  about  its  looks  and  whether  it  could  not 
have  a  different  face.  And  here  my  criticism  begins.  I 
do  not  deem  socialism  a  sin  in  the  socialists,  but  only  that 
the  idea  in  their  school  assumes  the  lineaments  of  an 
malignant  idiot.  I  accuse  our  socialists  of  incredible 
stupidity;  like  that  of  the  ants  who  wrangled  with  and 
bit  the  working  ants,  while  the  ant-eater  was  lying  on  the 
ant-hill  and  swallowing  them  by  thousands." 

"True,"  cried  Ladislaus. 

"And,  of  course,"  concluded  Gronski,  "on  our  ant-hills 
there  lie  a  whole  herd  of  ant-eaters." 

Here  Dolhanski  again  dropped  the  monocle  from  his 
eye. 

"That  you  may  not  retire  to  sleep  under  a  disagreeable 
impression,"  he  said,  "I  will  tell  you  an  anecdote  which 
will  illustrate  what  Gronski  has  said.  During  the  last 
exposition  in  Paris,  one  of  the  black  kings  of  French 
Congo,  having  heard  of  it,  announced  his  wish  to  see  it. 
The  Colonial  government,  which  was  anxious  to  send  as 
many  exotic  figures  as  possible  to  Paris,  not  only  consented, 
but  sent  to  this  monarch  a  few  shirts  with  the  information 
that  in  France  such  articles  of  attire  were  indispensable. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  87 

Naturally  the  shirts  excited  general  admiration  and  sur- 
prise. The  King  summoned  ministers,  priests,  and  lead- 
ers of  parties  for  a  consultation  as  to  how  such  a  machine 
was  to  be  put  on.  After  long  debates,  which  undoubtedly 
could  not  be  held  without  bitter  clashes  between  the  native 
rationalists  and  the  native  nationalists  and  progressionists, 
all  doubts  were  finally  set  at  rest.  The  king  pulled  the 
sleeves  of  the  shirt  over  his  legs,  so  that  the  cuffs  were  at 
his  ankles.  The  bottom  edge  of  the  shirt,  which  in  this 
instance  became  the  top,  was  fastened  under  his  arm-pits  by 
a  string  in  such  a  manner  that  the  bosom  was  on  his  back 
and  the  opening  was  at  his  neck  —  somewhat  lower. 
Delighted  with  this  solution  of  the  difficulty,  the  ruler 
acknowledged  that  the  attire,  if  not  entirely,  was,  at  least 
in  certain  respects,  very  practical  and,  above  all,  extra- 
ordinarily striking." 

"Good,"  said  Gronski,  laughing,  "but  what  connection 
has  that  with  what  I  had  previously  said  ?  " 

"Greater  than  may  appear  to  you,"  replied  Dolhanski; 
"for  the  fact  is  that  the  various  Slavonians  are  prepared 
to  bear  liberty  and  the  socialists  socialism  in  the  same 
manner  as  that  negro  king  wore  his  European  shirt." 

Saying  this,  he  replaced  the  monocle  in  his  eye  and 
announced  that  as  in  virtuous  Jastrzeb  and  in  such  com- 
pany there  could  not  be  any  talk  of  a  "night  card  party," 
he  would  take  his  leave  and  go  to  sleep.  The  others  de- 
cided to  follow  his  example.  Ladislaus  took  the  lamp 
and  began  to  light  the  way  for  the  guests.  On  the  stairs 
he  turned  to  them  with  a  countenance  which  depicted  ill 
humor  and  said : 

"May  the  deuce  take  it,  but  all  these  disturbances  must 
occur  at  a  time  when  we  have  in  Jastrzeb  such  lovely 
ladies." 

"Beware,"  answered  Dolkanski,  "and  know  that  noth- 
ing can  be  concealed  from  my  eyes.    When  you  assisted 


88  WHIRLPOOLS. 

Miss  Anney  to  conduct  your  mother,  you  looked  like  an 
electrical  machine.  If  anybody  drew  a  wire  through  you, 
you  could  illuminate  not  only  the  mansion  but  the  adjoin- 
ing out-buildings." 

Ladislaus  raised  the  lamp  higher  so  that  the  light  would 
not  fall  upon  his  countenance,  for  he  felt  at  that  moment 
that  he  blushed  like  a  student. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  89 


IX 

Ladislaus  Krzycki  possessed  such  a  happy  nature  that, 
having  once  lain  down  to  sleep,  he  could  a  few  minutes 
later  fall  into  a  deep  slumber  which  would  continue  until 
the  morning.  That  night,  however,  he  could  not  fall  asleep 
because  tlie  impressions  of  the  day,  together  with  the 
parting  words  of  Dolhanski,  had  led  him  into  a  state  of 
exasperation  and  anger.  He  was  angry  at  Rzeslewo;  at 
the  disturbances  which  were  taking  place  there;  at  Dol- 
hanski because  he  had  observed  the  impression  which  the 
young  girl  had  made  upon  him  —  and  particularly  because 
he  himself  had  afforded  him  an  opportunity  to  comment 
upon  it  —  and  finally  at  the  innocent  Miss  Anney.  After 
a  time,  rolling  from  side  to  side,  he  opened  an  imaginary 
conversation  with  her,  in  which  he  assumed  the  r6le  of  a 
man,  who,  indeed,  does  not  deny  that  he  is  deeply  under  the 
spell,  nevertheless,  can  view  matters  soberly  and  sanely. 
Therefore  he  admitted  to  Miss  Anney  that  she  was  hand- 
some and  amiable ;  that  she  had  an  immensely  sympathetic 
voice,  a  strange,  fascinating  look,  and  a  body  like  marble 
—  ah,  what  a  body !  Nevertheless,  he  made  the  explicit 
reservation  that  she  must  not  think  that  he  loved  her  to 
distraction,  or  was  even  smitten  with  her.  He  would  con- 
cede anything  to  her  that  she  desired,  but  to  admit  that  he 
was  in  love  with  her  was  as  far  removed  from  his  thoughts 
as  love  is  from  matrimony,  of  which,  of  course,  there  could 
not  be  any  talk.  Above  all,  she  was  a  foreigner,  and 
Mother  in  that  respect  had  her  prejudices,  justly  so ;  and 
he  himself  would  prefer  to  have  at  his  side  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life  a  Polish  soul  and  not  a  foreign  one. 


90  WHIRLPOOLS. 

True,  there  was  something  homehke  in  her,  but  after  all, 
she  was  not  a  Pole.  "Identical  blood  has  its  own  meaning; 
it  cannot  be  helped,"  he  further  told  Miss  Anney.  "So, 
since  you  are  an  Englishwoman,  marry  some  Englishman 
or  Scotchman,  provided,  however,  you  do  not  require  me 
to  form  the  acquaintance  of  such  an  ape  and  become  inti- 
mate with  him,  for  that  is  something  I  can  dispense  with 
perfectly."  And  at  that  moment  he  was  seized  with  such 
a  sudden,  unexpected  antipathy  to  that  eventual  English- 
man "with  projecting  jaw"  and  Scotchman  "with  bare 
knees,"  that  he  felt  that  upon  a  trivial  misunderstanding 
he  could  flog  them.  But  through  this  attack  of  rage  he 
roused  himself  completely  from  that  half-drowsy,  half- 
wakeful  condition  in  which  whimsical  fancies  mingle,  and 
having  recovered  his  senses,  he  experienced  a  great  relief 
in  the  thought  that  the  betrothed  person  beyond  the  sea 
was  only  a  figment  of  his  imagination,  and  at  the  same  time 
a  wave  of  gratitude  towards  Miss  Anney  surged  in  his 
heart.  "  Here  I  am,  quarrelling  with  her  and  making  reser- 
vations," he  thought,  "while  she  is  snugly  nestling  her 
bright  head  upon  a  pillow  and  peacefully  slumbering." 
Here  again  his  blood  began  to  frisk,  but  soon  the  perverse 
musings  vanished.  This  became  easier  for  him,  as  he  was 
encompassed  by  a  yearning  for  honest  affection  and  for 
that  future  being,  yet  unnamed,  who  was  to  share  his 
life.  Again  he  resumed  his  imaginary  conversation  with 
Miss  Anney,  but  this  time  in  a  meek  spirit.  He  assured 
her,  with  a  certain  melancholy,  that  he  was  not  solicitous 
about  her,  as  he  well  knew  that  even  if  there  were  no 
obstacles  she  certainly  would  not  have  him,  but  that  he 
was  anxious  that  his  future  life-companion  should  resemble 
her  a  little ;  that  she  should  have  the  same  look  and  the 
same  magnetic  strength  to  which,  if  he  did  not  succumb  it 
would  be  a  miracle.  As  to  Miss  Anney  personally,  plainly 
speaking,  he  owed  only  gratitude.     Of  course,  nowhere 


WHIRLPOOLS.  91 

was  it  so  well  with  him  as  at  his  beloved  Jastrzeb,  but 
nevertheless  he  could  not  deny  that  in  that  exclusive  den 
it  became  lively  and  bright  after  her  arrival;  and  that 
after  her  departure  it  would  become  darker,  more  dreary 
and  monotonous  than  ever  before.  So  for  those  bright 
moments  he  would  willingly  kiss  her  hand  and,  if  that 
seemed  insufBcient  to  her,  then  her  feet.  In  the  mean- 
time he  begged  her  pardon  for  the  mad  thoughts  which 
passed  through  his  brain  when  he  brushed  against  her 
shoulder  in  the  salon,  for  though  he  was  always  of  the 
opinion  that  responsiveness  upon  her  part  was  worth  the 
sacrifice  of  life,  yet  at  the  same  time  he  had  to  contend  that 
Dolhanski  was  a  blockhead  and  cynic  who  meddled  with 
matters  which  did  not  concern  him  and  who  was  unworthy 
of  notice.  Here  renewed  rage  against  Dolhanski  possessed 
him,  and  he  continued  for  some  time  to  toss  from  side  to 
side  until  finally  the  late  hour,  youth,  hungry  for  sleep,  and 
weariness  sprinkled  his  eyes  with  poppy. ^ 

There  was,  however,  in  the  Jastrzeb  manor-house  an- 
other who  did  not  sleep  and  who  talked  with  a  person  not 
present,  and  that  was  Laskowicz.  After  all  that  had 
taken  place  and  what  had  been  revealed  in  the  past  few 
days,  he  was  prepared  for  his  farewell  parting  with  the 
Krzycki  family,  as  he  well  knew  that  his  further  presence 
in  Jastrzeb  would  be  intolerable.  And  nevertheless  he 
desired  at  present  to  stay  in  it,  even  though  for  a  few  days, 
in  order  that  he  might  gaze  longer  upon  Panna  Marynia 
and,  as  he  called  it,  "further  narcotize  himself."  Somehow, 
from  the  first  moment  he  had  heard  her  play,  she  actually 
absorbed  his  thoughts  in  a  way  that  no  woman  up  to  that 
time  had  done.  Foremost  among  the  prepared  formala 
which  he,  with  dogmatic  faith,  had  adopted  to  judge 
mankind  with,  was  the  precept  that  a  woman  belonging 

»  "  Sprinkled  his  eyes  with  poppy : "  proverbial  expression 
denoting  "lulled  to  sleep." — Translator. 


92  WHIRLPOOLS. 

to  the  so-called  pampered  class  was  a  thoughtless  creature. 
In  the  meantime  he  had  to  dissent  at  once  from  that  for- 
mula as  a  soul  had  spoken  to  him  through  the  violin.  Later 
he  was  astonished  to  find  in  that  young  lady  two  entities, 
one  of  which  manifested  itself  in  music  as  a  finished 
artist,  concentrated,  filled  with  exaltation  within  herself, 
dissolved  in  the  waves  of  tones  and  playing  as  if  she  drew 
the  bow  over  her  own  nerves;  the  other  appeared  in 
every-day  life  in  her  customary  relations  with  people. 
The  latter  seemed  at  the  first  glance  of  the  eye,  if  not  an 
insignificant,  a  common  girl,  full  of  simplicity  and  even 
gaiety,  who  screamed  like  a  cat  when  Dolhanski,  for  in- 
stance, said  things  disagreeable  to  her;  who  jested  with 
Gronski,  telling  him  absurdities  about  spirits  or,  to  the 
great  alarm  of  Gronski  and  her  older  sister,  fled  into  the 
garden  for  a  boat  ride  on  the  pond.  Laskowicz  did  not 
fully  comprehend  the  world  and  was  not  a  subtle  person ; 
nevertheless,  he  observed  in  the  "common  girl"  something 
which  made  her,  as  it  were,  a  little  divinity,  haloed  with 
a  quiet  worship.  Evidently  she  herself  did  not  appear 
to  be  conscious  of  this  and,  viewing  such  a  state  of  affairs 
as  something  which  was  self-understood,  she  lived  the 
life  of  a  flower  or  a  bird.  Confident  that  she  will  not 
suffer  any  harm  from  any  one,  gentle,  bright,  living  be- 
yond the  misery  and  wretchedness  of  life,  beyond  its  cares, 
beyond  its  chilling  winds  which  dim  the  eyes  with  tears, 
beyond  the  dust  which  defiles,  she  resembled  a  pure  spring 
which  people  look  upon  as  blessed  and  whose  translucency 
they  fear  to  muddy.  It  seemed  that  the  environment  did 
not  exact  of  her  anything  more  than  that  she  should  ex- 
ist, just  as  nothing  more  is  demanded  of  a  masterpiece. 

To  Laskowicz,  as  often  as  he  gazed  at  her,  there  came 
recollection  of  his  childhood  days.  He  and  his  older 
brother,  who,  a  few  years  before  falling  into  consumption 
had  committed  suicide  on  the  Riviera,  were  the  sons  of  a 


WHIRLPOOLS.  93 

woman  who  conducted  near  one  of  the  churches  in  War- 
saw a  shop  for  the  sale  of  consecrated  wax  candles,  medals, 
rosaries,  and  pictures.  Owing  to  this,  both  brothers  were, 
in  a  way,  bred  upon  the  church  portals  and  were  in  constant 
relations  with  the  priests.  Once  it  happened  that  the  aged 
canon,  the  rector  of  the  church,  bought  at  an  auction  an 
alabaster  statuette  of  some  saint,  and  for  an  unknown 
reason  took  it  for  granted  that  it  was  not  only  the  work, 
but  the  masterpiece  of  Canova.  The  statuette,  which,  in 
reality,  was  pretty  and  finely  executed,  after  consecration, 
was  placed  in  a  separate  niche  near  one  of  the  altars  un- 
der the  name  of  Saint  ApoUonia  and  from  that  time  the 
gentle  old  rector  surrounded  it  with  great  worship  as  a 
holy  relic  and  with  more  particular  care  as  the  greatest 
church  rarity.  He  led  his  guests  and  more  pious  parish- 
ioners before  it  and  commanded  them  to  admire  the  work 
and  got  angry  if  any  one  ventured  to  make  any  critical  ob- 
servation. In  fact,  the  admiration  of  the  canon  was 
shared  by  the  organist,  the  sexton,  the  church  servants, 
and  both  boys.  The  thought  that  Panna  Marynia  amidst 
her  environment  was  such  a  Saint  ApoUonia  unwittingly 
suggested  itself  to  Laskowicz.  For  that  reason,  after  the 
first  impression  he  called  her  "a  saintly  doll."  But  he 
also  recalled  that  when  in  the  course  of  time  he  lost  his 
faith  —  and  he  lost  it  in  the  gymnasium  where,  speaking 
parenthetically,  he  completed  his  studies  with  the  aid  of 
the  venerable  canon  —  he  often  was  beset  with  a  desire 
to  demolish  that  alabaster  statuette.  At  present  he  was 
consumed  with  a  greater  desire,  for  it  bordered  upon  a 
passion,  to  destroy  this  living  one.  And  yet  he  did  not  in 
the  least  bear  her  any  hatred.  On  the  contrary,  he  could 
not  resist  the  charm  of  this  maiden,  so  loved  by  all,  any 
more  than  one  can  resist  the  charm  of  dawn  or  spring.  It 
even  happened  that  what  vexed  and  exasperated  him  also 
at  the  same  time  attracted  him  towards  her  with  an  un- 


94  WHIRLPOOLS. 

controllable  force.  Consequently  he  was  drawn  to  her 
by  her  appurtenance  to  this  world,  the  existence  of  which 
he  deemed  a  social  injustice,  crime,  and  wrong;  she  at- 
tracted him  in  spite  of  his  internal  anguish,  and  even  by 
the  thought  that  beside  such  a  flower  the  proletariat  was 
but  manure.  A  lure  for  him  was  her  refined  culture  and 
her  art,  though  he  regarded  such  things  as  superfluous 
and  unnecessary  for  people  of  deflorated  life;  the  fascina- 
tion was  her  utter  dissimiliarity  to  the  women  whom  he 
met  up  to  the  time  of  his  arrival  at  the  village,  and  her 
whole  form  was  an  intoxication.  Never  before  was  he 
under  the  same  roof  with  a  being  like  her;  therefore  he 
forgot  himself  and  lost  his  head  at  the  sight  of  her,  and 
though  he  had  not  yet  familiarized  himself  with  the  power 
which  began  to  play  in  his  bosom  and  had  not  christened 
it  with  the  name  of  love,  the  truth  was  that  during  the 
past  few  days  he  was  aflame  like  a  volcano  and  loved  her 
to  distraction.  He  vaguely  felt,  however,  that  in  this  pas- 
sion there  was  something  of  the  lust  of  a  negro  for  a  white 
woman,  and  what  was  more,  that  in  that  particular  love 
there  was  apostasy  to  principles.  So  then  in  the  same 
germ  he  poisoned  her  with  the  virus  of  hatred  and  the 
wolfish  propensity  of  annihilation. 

And  now  he  was  summoning  this  "saintly  doll"  to  come 
to  him.  Accepting,  indiscriminately,  and  also  with  all 
that  exaggeration  peculiar  to  fanaticism  and  youth,  every- 
thing which  the  books  published  as  the  results  of  the  latest 
researches  or  phenomena  in  the  domain  of  science,  he  be- 
lieved that  hypnotism  was  a  secret  and  gigantic  power 
which,  when  applied,  would  become  invincible.  Holding 
himself  on  the  strength  of  experiments  tried  among  his 
classmates  as  a  hypnotizer,  and  considering  the  delicate 
and  impressionable  young  girl  an  excellent  medium,  he 
was  most  firmly  convinced  that  he  could  put  her  to  sleep 
and  command  her  from  a  distance.    Conscience,  indeed, 


WHIRLPOOLS.  95 

whispered  to  him  that  what  he  contemplated  doing  was  an 
abuse  of  science,  but  he  silenced  that  voice,  persuading 
himself  that  it  would  at  the  same  time  be  a  triumph  of  a 
proletaire  over  this  world,  for  which  it  is  not  permissible 
to  have  any  pity,  and  that  a  man  belonging  to  the  camp 
which  had  declared  a  war  of  life  and  death  on  the  entire 
social  structure  and  "had  appraised  at  their  true  worth" 
all  current  ideas  has  the  right  to  and  must  be  heedless. 

Above  all,  however,  he  yearned  to  subjugate  this  ele- 
gant and  immaculate  maiden,  to  dominate  not  merely 
her  body  and  soul,  but  also  her  will ;  to  transform  her  into 
something  like  himself;  to  draw  her  to  himself,  to  awaken 
within  her  the  slumbering  feminine  instincts,  to  open  be- 
fore her  the  closed  doors  of  passion;  to  inflame  her,  to 
embrace  her,  to  toy  with  her,  and  afterwards  keep  her  for- 
ever close  to  his  bosom.  And  at  that  thought  he  was  beset 
by  a  strange  joy  like  that  which  madmen  feel  while  pro- 
faning objects  held  in  reverence  and  fear,  and,  simultane- 
ously, lust  and  love  within  him  intensified.  He  felt  that 
after  all  that  and  for  all  of  that,  he  would  love  this  booty 
of  his,  this  sacrifice,  to  distraction. 

But  as  he  was  a  madman  only  about  the  heart  of  a  maid, 
and  not  a  depraved  man,  he  was  at  times  possessed  by  a 
tenderness  so  great  that  if  his  summons  were  productive 
of  any  results  he  might  not  pass  the  bounds  of  transgres- 
sion. But  these  were  transient  moments;  after  which, 
straining  the  whole  strength  of  his  will  and  the  sight  of  his 
closely  set  eyes  in  the  direction  of  Marynia's  sleeping 
chamber  he  said  and  commanded :  "  Rise !  —  do  not  light 
the  candles  —  do  not  awaken  your  sister  —  open  the  door 
quietly  and  walk  in  darkness  on  the  path  of  my  thoughts 
until  you  come  to  me,  to  my  arras,  to  my  bosom !"  And 
he  imagined  that  at  any  moment  he  would  behold  her, 
resembling  that  alabaster  statuette,  entering  with  the  me- 
chanical step  of  a  somnambulist  in  a  single  gown,  silvery, 


96  WHIRLPOOLS. 

dreamy,  with  head  tilted  backward,  with  closed  eyes  and 
opened  lips  drinking  the  lustre  of  the  moon  which  shone 
in  the  windows.  Afterwards  he  listened  in  the  silence  and, 
concentrating  yet  more  powerfully  his  will,  he  repeated 
again  with  emphasis  as  if  each  word  was  chiselled  out  of 
stone:  "Rise!  do  not  light  the  candles  —  do  not  waken 
your  sister  —  open  the  door  —  go  on  the  path  of  my 
thoughts  —  and  come!" 

Horrible  indeed  would  have  been  the  fate  of  the  young 
lady  were  it  not  for  one  fortunate  circumstance,  and  that 
was  that  she  never  dreamt  of  rising,  opening  the  door, 
going  on  the  path  of  his  thoughts,  etc.  On  the  contrary, 
she  slept  as  peacefully  as  if  an  angel  had  bent  over  her 
and  with  the  movements  of  her  wings  had  driven  away 
from  her  disquieting  and  feverish  dreams.  The  little 
household  fairies  of  Jastrzeb,  such  as  those  about  which 
she  spoke  to  Gronski,  also  did  not  disturb  her  repose. 
Perhaps  some  of  them  chased  the  moths  from  the  windows 
in  order  that  they  might  not  make  any  noise  by  striking 
the  window-panes;  perhaps  others,  climbing  the  curtains 
and  window  sashes,  gazed  at  her  from  a  distance  with 
their  keen  little  eyes  and  whispered  to  each  other:  "Sleep, 
little  maiden,  who  played  for  us  on  the  violin  —  sleep 
—  hush  —  let  us  not  waken  her."  And  though  a  desire  to 
turn  the  pins  of  the  violin  and  touch  the  chords  with  their 
tiny  fingers  may  have  taken  hold  of  them,  they  did  not, 
however,  do  so,  through  honesty  and  hospitality.  Through 
the  openings  of  the  shutters  the  moonlight  streamed  in, 
brightening  the  interior  and  slowly  advancing  on  the  oppo- 
site wall.  The  silence  was  great ;  only  somewhere  beyond 
the  house  the  night-watch  on  the  premises  whistled ;  while 
within  the  house  the  old  standing  clock,  which  measured 
the  lives  of  several  generations,  continued  to  speak  with 
resignation  the  "Tick !  —  Tack !  —  Tick  1"  of  the  seconds 
sinking  into  the  past. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  97 

And  Laskowicz  in  the  course  of  time  issued  further  com- 
mands from  his  room  which  reached  no  one's  knowledge. 
A  strange  thing !  Inwardly  something  was  telling  him 
with  sober,  almost  absolute  certainty  that  the  maid  would 
not  come  and  he  nevertheless  believed  that  she  ought  to 
have  come.  Not  until  a  long  time  elapsed,  did  the  con- 
sciousness dawn  upon  him  that  if  she  did  not  come,  then 
he,  together  with  his  hypnotism,  played  the  role  of  an  addle- 
pated  fool.  Finally  fatigue,  disaffection,  and  anger  at 
himself  gripped  him.  Sleep  irrevocably  left  him.  Hour 
flew  after  hour.  In  the  east  the  sky  was  deepening  and 
it  was  becoming  green.  Soon  the  rosy  lower  border  was 
striped  with  the  transparent  riband  of  dawn.  The  young 
student,  not  undressing  himself  at  all,  opened  the  win- 
dow to  breathe  the  bracing  morning  air.  In  the  garden 
the  first  chirp  of  the  birds  began,  and  from  the  direction 
of  the  not  distant  pond,  with  the  odor  of  the  acacias,  came 
the  cries  of  herons  and  the  subdued,  as  if  yet  sleepy,  quacks 
of  the  wild  ducks.  After  a  while  the  sweep  of  the  well 
creaked  in  the  village. 

It  then  occurred  to  Laskowicz  that  this  was  the  last  day- 
break he  was  to  behold  in  Jastrzeb;  that  on  the  morrow 
he  would  wake  in  the  city  and  would  not  see  either  Panna 
Marynia  or  httle  Anusia  whom  only,  of  all  the  inmates  of 
that  Jastrzeb  mansion,  he  liked;  and  he  felt  a  little  sor- 
row. But  as  he  understood  that,  after  the  arrival  of  his 
party  associates  at  Rzeslewo  and  yesterday's  visit  of  the 
steward  Kapuscinski  to  Krzycki,  it  was  unavoidable,  he 
preferred  to  tender  his  resignation  rather  than  suffer  a 
dismissal.  With  this  intention,  he  decided  to  write  a  let- 
ter to  Ladislaus  and  inform  him  that  he  had  enough  of 
pedagogical  work.  He  foresaw  that  eventually  they  would 
have  to  see  each  other,  if  only  at  the  payment  of  the  salary, 
and  as  a  dispute  about  principles  might  arise  which  might 

go  very  far,  he  had  a  revolver  ready  for  certain  contin- 

7 


98  WHIRLPOOLS. 

gencies.  He  deemed  that,  before  that  happened,  a  dry, 
peremptory  letter  would  be  a  step  more  consonant  with 
his  pride ;  therefore,  when  it  was  quite  bright,  he  sat  down 
immediately  to  write. 

Krzycki  awoke,  though  not  in  the  dusk,  nevertheless 
with  the  rise  of  the  sun,  for  in  the  country  he  thus  habitu- 
ated himself  to  wake,  regardless  of  whether  he  retired  to 
bed  early  or  late.  He  felt  in  his  bones  that  he  had  had  too 
little  rest  and,  stretching  out  his  arms,  he  said  to  himself 
that  he  would  be  repaid  only  in  case  Miss  Anney  at  some 
time  would  learn  that  he  lost  that  sleep  for  her  sake  and 
would  pity  him,  though  slightly.  Meanwhile  he  recalled 
to  his  mind  all  that  he  was  to  do  that  day  and  formulated 
the  following  plan;  he  would  rouse  himself,  drive  out  the 
lassitude  in  his  bones ;  afterwards,  before  breakfast,  would 
drive  over  to  Rzeslewo  and  "look  a  little  in  the  eyes  of 
those  worthies;"  and  if  possible  talk  with  the  peasants; 
later  he  would  return;  after  breakfast  he  would  finish 
with  Laskowicz  and  send  him  away  with  the  team  which 
was  to  bring  the  physician;  the  balance  of  his  time,  he 
would  devote  to  the  guests,  to  writing  letters,  and  to  the 
farm.  He  positively  determined  to  go  to  Rzeslewo,  be- 
cause, though  he  agreed  in  his  heart  with  Dolhanski  that 
for  the  nonce  he  would  be  unable  to  accomplish  anything, 
nevertheless,  he  did  not  wish  the  ladies  to  think  that  he 
stayed  away  through  fear. 

Having  arranged  everything  in  this  manner,  he  care- 
lessly put  on  his  clothes  and,  slipping  his  feet  into  his 
slippers,  repaired  to  the  bath-room,  without  any  forebod- 
ing that  he  would  meet  with  an  unusual  accident  and  that 
he  was  soon  to  see,  not  in  truth  such  an  alabaster  statuette 
as  the  one  Laskowicz  was  raving  about  all  night,  but,  at 
any  rate,  something  resembling  Diana  in  a  fountain.  In 
the  second  in  which  he  opened  the  door  he  saw  streams 
of  water  splashing  and  beheld  under  a  shower-sprinkler  a 


WHIRLPOOLS.  99 

nude,  female  figure,  strewed  with  pearls  of  azure,  with 
head  somewhat  inclined,  and  hands  raised  to  her  hair, 
whose  black  waves  concealed  her  face.  This  lasted  only 
a  twinkle  of  the  eye.  A  suppressed  scream  and  the  slam 
of  the  closed  door  resounded  simultaneously.  Krzycki 
rushed  Hke  the  gale  for  his  room;  excited  and  at  the 
same  time  shocked,  he  clutched  with  shaking  hand  a 
decanter,  filled  a  glass  of  water,  gulped  it,  and  began  to 
repeat  confusedly:  "What  has  happened?  Who  is  she? 
For  God's  sake,  what  has  happened?"  In  the  first  mo- 
ments he  conjectured  that  she  might  have  been  Pani 
Otocka,  or  Marynia,  and  in  such  a  case  the  misad- 
venture would  be  appalling.  Those  ladies  would  un- 
doubtedly leave  Jastrzeb  at  once  and  it  would  perhaps  be 
incumbent  upon  him  to  propose  marriage  to  the  one  whom 
he  had  seen  in  such  paradisiacal  shape.  "But  was  it  my 
fault?"  he  thought.  "Why  didn't  she  lock  the  door? 
There  was  a  bolt."  He  drank  another  glass  of  water  to 
cool  his  agitated  blood  and  to  think  more  calmly  of  what 
he  was  to  do  and  who  that  nymph  was.  Somehow  after 
an  interval  he  reached  the  conclusion  that  she  could  not 
have  been  either  of  the  sisters.  Firstly,  why  should  they 
rise  so  early?  and  again,  both  were  slim,  while  this  form 
was  stouter  and  on  the  whole  was  built  so,  that  —  Oh ! 
Oh  I  Finally,  he  became  satisfied  that  it  surely  must  have 
been  no  other  than  the  brunette  who  obstructed  his  view 
of  Miss  Anney  during  the  mass  and  whom  he  met  on  the 
dark  walk  when  returning  with  Gronski  from  the  hunt. 
If  such  was  the  case,  nothing  terrible  had  happened,  but 
rather  the  contrary.  It  occurred  to  his  mind  that  those 
blue  window-panes  were  an  excellent  device,  for  in  such  a 
light  the  spectacle  was  delightful.  At  the  thought  of  this, 
he  felt  the  necessity  of  drinking  a  third  glass  of  water. 
This,  however,  he  did  not  do,  but  instead,  after  an  inter- 
val, went  again  to  the  bath-room,  which  now  was  vacant, 


100  WHIRLPOOLS. 

and  after  a  cool  bath  dressed  himself  and  hastened  to  the 
stable.  There  he  ordered  a  horse  to  be  saddled  and  sped 
away  on  a  gallop  for  adjacent  Rzeslewo. 

The  day  was  mild;  the  hour  very  early.  But  all  na- 
ture was  already  awake  and  bedewed,  bathed  in  the  sun, 
she  appeared  to  simply  cry  out  with  joy,  just  as  village 
maids  from  an  excess  of  hfe  and  health  sing  unto  forget- 
fulness,  "Oj  dana!  Ojdana!"  Birds  carolled  until  the 
leaves  on  the  trees  trembled.  In  the  distant  oak  grove 
resounded  the  coo-cooing  of  the  cuckoo ;  yellow  thrushes 
whistled  amidst  the  boughs  of  lofty  trees ;  from  the  depths 
of  the  forest,  sounding  like  the  noise  of  a  sawmill,  came 
the  outcries  of  an  old  raven,  watching  a  crowded  nest, 
while  from  time  to  time  the  shrieks  of  a  jay,  resembling  a 
laugh,  burst  forth. 

Ladislaus  rode  out  of  the  woods  onto  the  open  roadway. 
Here  on  one  side  was  a  stretch  of  waving  grain;  on  the 
other  a  meadow  —  from  which  odors  of  turf  and  spring 
were  wafted,  —  all  overgrown  with  marigold  and  rose- 
campion,  quivering  in  the  solar  warmth  and  under  the 
gentle  breath  of  the  wind,  as  if  in  delight.  This  delight, 
this  widespread  joy  and  luxuriance  of  life  overflowed  in 
the  breast  of  Ladislaus.  He  felt  within  himself  such  a 
vigor  of  youth  and  strength  that  he  was  prepared  to  chal- 
lenge to  a  hand-to-hand  combat  full  hundreds  of  socialists 
and  at  the  same  time  press  the  whole  world  to  his  heart, 
especially  women  under  the  age  of  thirty.  The  white 
vision  of  that  Diana,  enveloped  in  a  shell  of  blue  pearls, 
again  began  to  glide  before  his  eyes,  but  he  now  thought 
that  if,  instead  of  dark  tresses  on  the  bowed  head  of  that 
goddess,  he  had  seen  golden,  he  would  have  probably 
toppled  over. 

Amidst  such  sights  and  impressions  he  arrived  at 
Rzeslewo,  where,  however,  in  conformity  with  Dolhanski's 
prediction,  he  was  unable  to  accomplish  anything.      The 


WHIRLPOOLS.  101 

"worthies"  whom  he  wanted  to  look  in  the  eyes  had  left 
during  the  night  time  for  the  city ;  the  husbandmen  were 
in  the  field,  each  upon  his  own  patch  of  ground;  the 
blinds  of  the  rectory  were  shut,  as  the  rector  for  the  last 
few  days  was  feeling  unwell.  In  the  manor  out-building 
where  the  laborers  dwelt  there  was  not  a  sign  of  a  living 
soul.  Later  the  old  keeper  of  the  stockyard  informed 
him  that  the  hired  help,  after  watering  the  stock,  drove 
it  out  into  the  pasture  and  went  without  asking  the  per- 
mission of  any  one  to  a  church  festival  at  Brzesno,  whither 
many  of  the  husbandmen  and  tenants  had  also  gone. 

So,  then,  here  was  a  strike  of  farm-hands  and  open 
contumacy,  but  Krzycki  was  helpless.  He  only  ordered 
the  aged  keeper  of  the  stockyard  to  tell  the  hired  help  that 
there  would  come  to  Rzeslewo  to  establish  order  certain 
gentlemen  before  whom  the  vagabonds,  who  were  there 
the  previous  day,  would  abscond  as  soon  as  they  heard  of 
them ;  after  which  he  turned  back  and  in  half  an  hour  was 
in  Jastrzeb. 

A  servant  told  him  that  all  were  still  asleep,  excepting 
Laskowicz,  who  had  charged  him  with  the  delivery  of  a 
letter.  Krzycki  took  it  and  went  with  it  to  the  office. 
Having  read  its  contents,  he  rang  for  the  servant. 

"Was  he  dressed  when  he  gave  you  the  letter?" 

"Yes,  sir,  and  was  packing  his  things." 

"Ask  him  if  he  can  come  to  my  office,  and  if  he  can, 
request  him  to  step  in." 

After  a  while,  the  young  student  entered  the  room. 

Krzycki  motioned  to  him  to  take  a  seat  in  the  chair, 
which  was  near  his  desk. 

"Good  day,  sir !  I  learn  from  your  letter  that  you  wish 
to  leave  Jastrzeb  and  that,  at  once.  I  presume  that  you 
have  cogent  reasons  for  this  step.  I  therefore  regard  any 
discussion  of  them  as  superfluous,  and  will  not  detain  you. 
Here  you  have  what  is  due  to  you  and  the  horses  will  be 
ready  at  any  time  you  desire." 


102  WHIRLPOOLS. 

But  Laskowicz,  who  in  money  matters  was  extremely 
scrupulous,  after  counting  the  money,  said: 

"You  are  paying  me  my  whole  salary,  but  as  I  am  leav- 
ing before  the  expiration  of  the  term,  I  am  not  entitled  to 
pay  for  the  last  month." 

And  somewhat  discourteously  he  flung  the  unearned 
balance  upon  the  desk. 

Krzycki's  cheeks  quivered  slightly  about  the  mustache, 
but  as  he  had  pledged  himself  before  Gronski  that  he  would 
not  create  any  disturbance  and  had  made  the  same  promise 
to  himself,  he  quietly  replied: 

"As  you  please." 

"As  for  the  departure,"  said  Laskowicz,  "I  would  pre- 
fer to  leave  at  once." 

"As  you  please,"  repeated  Krzycki.  "In  an  hour  I  will 
send  after  the  physician  for  my  mother  and  if  it  is  conve- 
nient for  you,  you  may  go  with  that  team." 

"Very  well." 

"Then  the  whole  thing  is  settled.  I  will  give  orders  at 
once." 

Saying  this,  he  rose  and  closed  the  desk,  as  if  he  wished 
to  intimate  that  the  interview  was  over.  Laskowicz  glared 
at  him  with  eyes  blazing  with  hatred.  He  did  not  seek 
any  broil,  but  anticipating  one,  he  stood  before  Krzycki, 
bent  like  a  bow.  Meanwhile  nothing  approaching  an 
altercation  occurred  and  the  revolver,  which  he  had  ready 
for  a  certain  contingency,  was  of  no  service  to  him.  There 
was  no  reference  even  to  the  letter,  though  that  was  indited 
in  harsh  and  rude  terms.  Nevertheless  there  was  some- 
thing offensive  in  the  cold  tones  in  which  Krzycki  spoke, 
something  insulting  in  the  eagerness  with  which  he  accepted 
his  offer  of  departure.  To  Laskowicz,  who  viewed  every- 
thing from  his  own  standpoint,  it  seemed  that  the  icy 
conversation  accentuated  something  else,  namely,  the 
attitude  of  a  wealthy  man  who  owned  Jastrzeb,  a  desk 


WHIRLPOOLS.  103 

filled  with  money,  horses,  and  equipages,  towards  a  poor, 
homeless  fellow.  But  it  did  not  occur  to  him  at  that 
moment  that  he  on  his  part  had  done  nothing  to  improve 
their  relations,  but  on  the  contrary  had  done  a  great  deal 
to  make  them  worse,  and  that  from  the  time  of  his  arrival 
he  had  shut  himself,  like  a  turtle  in  a  shell,  in  a  doctrine 
inimical  to  these  people.  Everything  conduced  to  stir  the 
bile  within  him  to  such  a  degree  that  he  actually  regretted 
that  the  matter  did  not  end  in  a  personal  encounter.  But 
as  in  the  words  of  Krzycki  there  was  nothing  which  gave 
him  a  pretext  for  one,  he  abruptly  left  the  room  without 
any  leave-taking  and  with  redoubled  rancor. 

Ladislaus  rang  to  have  the  horses  ready  within  an  hour, 
and  as  it  happened  to  be  Friday,  he  ordered  the  gardener 
to  catch  some  fish;  after  which  he  began  to  consider 
whether  the  affair  with  Laskowicz  had  terminated  in  a 
desirable  way.  He  was  pleased  and  displeased  with  himself. 
He  felt  a  certain  satisfaction  and  even  pride  in  the  fact  that 
he  could  be  laconic  and  firm,  cold  but  polite,  and  that  he  did 
not  stoop  to  any  ruffianly  dispute.  But  at  the  same  time, 
notwithstanding  his  pride,  a  certain  disrelish  remained, 
for  which  he  could  not  account  as  he  was  not  sufficiently 
developed  psychologically.  He  kept  repeating  to  himself 
that  such  scenes  are  always  disagreeable,  and  so  was  the 
whole  business.  In  reality  there  was  another  reason  for  it. 
His  whole  behavior,  which  appeared  to  him  so  temperate, 
sensible,  and  well-nigh  diplomatic,  did  not  emanate  from 
his  temperament,  but  in  direct  opposition  to  his  not  too 
deep,  but  open  and  impulsive  nature.  If  he  had  acted  in 
keeping  with  it,  he  either  would  have  come  to  blows  with 
the  young  student  or  else  would  have  said  something  like 
this:  "You  have  strewn  our  path  with  thorns  and  have 
upset  the  minds  of  our  people,  but  since  you  are  leaving, 
give  me  your  hand  and  may  you  fare  well."  The  one  or 
^he  other  act  would  have  been  more  consistent  with  his 


104  WHIRLPOOLS. 

character,  and  he  would  not  have  experienced  that  jarring 
which  he  could  not  understand,  but  felt  none  the  less. 

But  further  reflections  were  interrupted  by  the  servant 
with  the  announcement  that  breakfast  was  ready  and  that 
the  guests  were  at  the  table.  In  fact,  all  had  already 
assembled  in  the  dining-room,  through  which  pervaded 
the  odor  of  coffee  and  the  hum  of  the  samovar.  At  the 
sight  of  the  white  dresses  of  the  ladies  and  their  fresh, 
well-rested  countenances,  Ladislaus'  soul  gladdened  to 
such  an  extent  that  he  immediately  forgot  all  squabbles 
and  vexations.  By  way  of  greeting,  he  kissed  Pani  Otocka's 
hand;  then,  as  if  absent-mindedly,  that  of  Miss  Anney, 
but  so  forcibly  that  she  reddened  like  a  cherry ;  after  which 
he  squeezed  Marynia's  hand,  saluted  the  gentlemen  and 
began  to  cry  merrily: 

"Coffee !  coffee !  From  the  rise  of  the  sun  I  drank  only 
two  glasses  of  water  and  I  am  as  hungry  as  a  wolf." 

"Was  that  a  cure?  Did  you  have  a  fever?"  asked 
Dolhanski. 

"Perhaps  I  did  have  a  fever,  but  nevertheless  I  had  a 
horseback  ride  to  Rzeslewo  and  transacted  a  thousand 
matters." 

"How  is  it  in  'rustic-angelic'  Rzeslewo,"  interrupted 
Dolhanski. 

"There  is  nothing  further  that  is  disturbing.  Those 
trouble  makers  whom  I  wished  to  look  at,  in  the  eyes,  are 
gone.  But  now  above  all  things,  I  want  coffee  and  will 
not  answer  any  more  questions." 

Marynia,  as  the  substitute  of  Pani  Krzycki,  who  re- 
mained in  bed  owing  to  rheumatism,  poured  out  the 
coffee  for  him,  and  he  also  kissed  the  hand  of  his  young 
cousin;  whereat  she  was  pleased  as  she  fancied  that  it 
added  to  her  dignity. 

"That  is  due  me  as  a  vice-hostess,"  she  said,  shaking 
her  head.  * 


WHIRLPOOLS.  105 

"And  especially  taking  age  into  consideration,"  added 
Dolhanski. 

She  did  not  show  him  her  tongue  only  because  she  was 
too  well-bred. 

But  Dolhanski,  who  suffered  from  catarrh  of  the 
stomach,  gazed  enviously  at  Ladislaus,  eating  with  such 
relish,  and  said: 

"What  an  appetite!    A  genuine  cannibal." 

"Go  also  over  the  road  a  mile  before  breakfast  and  you 
will  have  the  same  appetite.  But  cannibal  or  no  cannibal, 
when  I  entered  this  room,  I  was  ready  to  devour  even  this 
bouquet  of  flowers  which  is  before  me." 

"The  time  will  come  when  the  country  nobility  will 
not  have  anything  else  to  eat,"  replied  Dolhanski. 

But  Marynia  quickly  seized  the  bouquet  and,  laughing, 
shoved  it  to  the  other  side  of  the  table. 

"After  coffee  there  is  no  fear,"  cried  Ladislaus.  "But 
what  beautiful  field  flowers!    Did  you  ladies  pick  them?" 

"We  are  sleepy-heads,"  answered  Pani  Otocka;  "they 
were  gathered  by  Aninka's  servant." 

Aninka  was  the  pet  name  which  both  sisters  gave  Miss 
Anney. 

Ladislaus  turned  a  sharp  glance  towards  the  ladies,  but 
as  their  faces  were  perfectly  calm,  he  thought : 

"She  gathered  the  flowers  and  did  not  mention  the 
mishap." 

And  Miss  Anney,  turning  the  bouquet  about  and  ex- 
amining it,  said : 

"An  apple-blossom  is  in  the  middle,  —  the  good-for- 
nothing  girl  plucked  it  from  some  little  tree,  for  which  she 
must  be  reprimanded;  these  are  spearwort,  those  prim- 
roses, and  those  pennyroyal,  which  are  now  coming  out." 

"It  is,  however,  astonishing  that  you  speak  Polish  so 
well,"  observed  Dolhanski;  "why,  you  even  know  the 
names  of  plants." 


106  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"I  heard  them  from  the  lips  of  the  village  maids  in 
Zalesin  at  Zosia's,"  answered  Miss  Anney.  "Besides,  I 
evidently  possess  linguistic  abilities  for  I  learned  from 
them  to  speak  in  a  rustic  style." 

"Truly,"  cried  Ladislaus,  "could  you  say  something  in 
peasant  fashion.  Say  something.  Miss  Anney!  Do!" 
he  entreated,  folding  his  hands  as  if  in  prayer. 

She  began  to  laugh  and  feigning  shyness,  bowed  her 
head  and  putting  the  back  part  of  her  hand  to  her  fore- 
head, as  bashful  peasants  girls  usually  do,  said,  drawling 
each  word  somewhat: 

"I  would  do  that  only  I  do  not  dare  — " 

Laughter  and  bravos  resounded;  only  Pani  Zosia 
glanced  at  her  with  a  peculiar  look  and  she,  by  becoming 
confused,  enhanced  her  beauty  to  such  an  extent  that 
Ladislaus  was  completely  captivated. 

"Ah!  now  one  could  lose  his  head,"  he  cried  with  un- 
feigned ardor.  "I  pledge  my  word,  one  could  lose  his  head." 

And  Gronski,  who  in  common  with  the  others  fell  into 
good  humor,  said  in  a  low  voice: 

"And  even  consummatum  est." 

But  further  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the  rattle 
of  the  carriage  wheels  which  could  be  heard  in  the  court- 
yard and  ceased  at  the  balcony. 

"What  is  that?"  asked  Gronski. 

"I  am  sending  for  the  doctor  for  Mother,"  answered 
Ladislaus,  rising.  "Whoever  has  any  errands  in  the  city 
may  speak." 

Dolhanski  and  Gronski  also  rose  and  went  out  with 
him  into  the  vestibule. 

"I  was  about  to  ask  you  for  a  horse,"  said  Gronski.  "I 
know  that  you  have  but  one  saddle  for  ladies  in  Jastrzeb, 
so  I  ordered  another  one  and  must  receive  it  in  person  at 
the  post-office.  I  did  not  want  to  speak  about  it  before 
the  ladies  as  it  is  to  be  a  surprise." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  107 

"Good ! "  answered  Krzycki,  "but  I  will  give  you  another 
carriage,  for  Laskowicz  is  leaving  by  this  one  and  you 
surely  would  prefer  not  to  ride  with  him." 

"He?"  cried  Dolhanski.  "You  do  not  know  him  then. 
He  is  ready  to  ride  with  old  Aunt  Beelzebub,  if  he  could 
pull  her  by  the  tongue  and  do  all  the  talking  and 
descanting." 

"There  is  a  little  truth  in  that,"  said  Gronski.  "I  am 
a  veritable  chatterbox.  Indeed,  I  will  willingly  go  with 
Laskowicz  and  will  try  to  get  him  into  a  talkative  mood 
for,  after  all,  he  does  interest  me.  Did  you  conclude  with 
him  this  morning?" 

"Yes.  I  must  see  Mother  for  a  while  and  tell  her  about 
it.  I  finished  with  him  and  in  addition  finished  peaceably. 
I,  at  least,  was  perfectly  calm." 

"So  much  the  better.  Go  to  your  mother  and  I  will  go 
to  my  room  for  a  linen  duster;  for  the  dust  on  the  road 
must  be  quite  thick.    I  will  be  back  soon." 

In  fact  he  returned  in  a  few  minutes,  dressed  in  a  linen 
coat.  About  the  same  time  a  servant  brought  down 
Laskowicz's  trunk,  and  soon  the  latter  appeared,  wrapped 
up  in  himself  and  gloomy  as  night,  for  the  thought  that  he 
would  not  behold  his  "  alabaster  statuette "  filled  him  with 
pain  and  sorrow;  the  more  so,  as  after  those  hypnotic 
exertions,  when  daylight  restored  him  to  his  senses,  he 
began  to  feel  guilty  of  an  offence  against  her.  Instead  of 
swallowing  with  unnecessary  haste  his  breakfast  in  his 
room  upstairs,  he  might  have  come  downstairs  and  gazed 
upon  Pani  Marynia  for  half  an  hour  longer ;  but  he  had 
not  wished  to  do  that  because,  in  the  first  place,  he  had  not 
cared  to  meet  Krzycki  and,  again,  he  felt  that  in  such 
company  he  would  enact  the  role  of  Pilate  in  Credo.  At 
that  moment  he  regretted  that  he  had  not  come  down  and 
feasted  his  eyes  with  her  form  for  the  last  time. 

But  a  pleasant  surprise  awaited  him  when  the  young 


108  WHIRLPOOLS. 

ladies,  in  the  company  of  Dolhanski  and  Ladislaus,  came 
out  on  the  balcony;  and  afterwards  little  Anusia,  with 
whom  he  was  always  on  friendly  terms,  having  learned 
that  he  was  leaving,  ran  with  eyes  overflowing  with  tears, 
pouting  lips,  and  a  bunch  of  flowers  in  her  chubby  fist  to 
bid  him  good-bye.  The  young  student  took  the  flowers 
from  her,  kissed  her  hand,  and  with  heavy  heart  sat  in  the 
carriage  beside  Gronski,  who  in  the  meantime  was  chatting 
with  Pani  Otocka. 

Anusia  descended  the  stairs  of  the  balcony  and  stood 
close  to  the  carriage  doors ;  upon  perceiving  which  Mary- 
nia  hastened  after  her  and,  evidently  fearing  that  the 
little  girl  might  be  jolted  when  the  carriage  started  to  move, 
took  her  hand  and  began  to  comfort  her. 

"Of  course  he  will  not  forget  you,"  she  said,  bending 
over  the  little  girl,  "he  surely  will  write  to  you  and  when 
he  becomes  very  lonesome,  will  return." 

After  which,  raising  her  eyes  directly  at  Laskowicz: 

"Is  it  not  true,  sir?    You  will  not  forget  her?" 

Laskowicz  gazed  into  the  depths  of  the  pellucid  pupils 
of  her  eyes,  as  if  he  wished  to  penetrate  them  to  the  bottom, 
and  being  really  moved,  replied  with  emphasis: 

"I  will  not  forget." 

"Ah,  you  see,"  and  Marynia  pacified  Anusia. 

But  at  that  moment  Krzycki  approached. 

"Mother  directed  me  to  bid  you  God-speed."  And  he 
immediately  shouted  to  the  driver:  "Drive  on." 

The  carriage  moved,  described  a  circle  in  the  court- 
yard, and  disappeared  on  the  avenue  beyond  the  gate. 

Miss  Anney  and  the  two  sisters  now  went  to  Pani 
Krzycki,  desiring  to  keep  her  company  at  breakfast, 
which  she  on  the  days  of  her  painful  suffering  ate  in  bed. 
Ladislaus,  recalling  that  he  ordered  some  fish  to  be  caught, 
walked  directly  across  the  garden  towards  the  pond  to  see 
whether  the  catch  was  successful. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  109 

But  before  he  reached  the  bank,  at  a  turning  of  the 
shady  yoked  elm  lane,  he  unexpectedly  met  his  morning's 
vision  of  "Diana  in  the  fountain." 

At  the  sight  of  him  the  maid  stood  still;  at  first  her 
countenance  flushed  as  if  a  live  flame  passed  through  it; 
after  which  she  grew  so  pale  that  the  dark  down  above 
her  lips  became  more  marked,  and  she  stood  motionless, 
with  downcast  eyes  and  heaving  breast,  bewildered  and 
abashed. 

But  he  spoke  out  with  perfect  freedom : 

"Good-day!   good-day!    Ah,  what  is  your  name?" 

"Pauline,"  she  murmured,  not  raising  her  eyes. 

"A  beautiful  name."  After  which,  he  smiled  some- 
what roguishly  and  added: 

"But  Panna  Pauly  —  the  next  time  —  there  is  a  bolt." 

"1  will  drown  myself,"  cried  the  maid  in  a  hysterical 
voice.  , 

And  he  began  to  speak  in  persuasive  tones:  | 

"Why?  For  what?  Why,  no  one  is  to  blame,  —  that 
was  a  pure  accident.  I  will  not  tell  anybody  about  it  and 
that  I  had  seen  such  beauty;  that  was  only  my  luck." 

And  he  proceeded  to  the  fishing  place. 

She  followed  his  shapely  form  with  her  tear-dimmed  eyes 
and  stood  on  the  spot  for  quite  a  while  in  reverie,  for  it 
seemed  to  her  that  by  reason  of  the  secret  known  to  them 
alone  something  had  transpired  between  them  which  would 
unite  them  forever. 

And  afterwards  when  she  recollected  how  that  charming 
young  heir  of  Jastrzeb  had  seen  her,  she  shuddered  from 
head  to  foot. 


110  WHIRLPOOLS. 


Gronski  was  a  man  of  gentle  and  kindly  disposition. 
Notwithstanding  his  penchant  for  philosophical  pessimism, 
he  was  not  a  pessimist  in  his  relations  to  men  and  life. 
Speaking  in  other  words,  in  theory  he  often  thought  like 
Ecclesiastes ;  in  practice  he  preferred  to  tread  in  the  foot- 
steps of  Horace,  or  rather  as  Horace  would  have  trodden 
had  he  been  a  Christian.  Continual  communing  with  the 
ancient  world  gave  him  a  certain  serenity,  not  divested 
indeed  of  melancholy,  but  peaceful  and  harmonious. 
Owing  to  his  high  education  and  extensive  reading,  which 
enabled  him  to  come  in  contact  with  all  ideas  which 
found  lodgment  in  the  human  mind  and  familiarize  him- 
self with  all  forms  of  human  life,  he  was  exceedingly  toler- 
ant, and  the  most  extreme  views  did  not  lead  him  into  that 
condition  which  would  cause  him  to  screech  like  a  fright- 
ened peacock.  This  deep  forbearance  and  this  convic- 
tion that  all  that  is  taking  place  has  to  occur,  did  not 
deprive  him  of  energy  of  thoughts  or  words ;  it  deprived  him, 
however,  in  some  measure  of  the  ability  to  act.  He  was 
more  of  a  spectator  than  an  actor  on  the  world's  stage, 
but  a  well-disposed  spectator,  acutely  susceptible  and  ex- 
traordinarily curious.  He  sometimes  compared  himself  to 
a  man  sitting  on  the  bank  of  a  river  and  watching  its 
course,  who  knows  indeed  that  it  must  roll  on  and  dis- 
appear in  the  sea,  but  who  is  nevertheless  interested  in  the 
movements  of  its  waves,  its  currents,  its  whirlpools,  mists 
rising  from  its  depths,  and  the  play  of  light  upon  its  waters. 
Besides  his  genuine  love  of  ancient  languages  and  authors, 


WHIRLPOOLS.  Ill 

Gronski  was  interested  in  politics,  science,  literature,  art, 
the  contemporary  social  tendencies,  and  finally  in  the 
private  affairs  of  mankind;  and  this  last  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  he  was  reluctantly  charged  with  undue  love  of 
knowledge  of  his  fellow-men.  From  this  general,  lively 
curiosity  flowed  his  loquacity  and  desire  to  expatiate  upon 
anything  which  passed  before  his  eyes.  He  was  well  aware 
of  this,  and  jocosely  justified  himself  before  his  friends  by 
citing  Cicero,  who  according  to  him  was  one  of  the  great- 
est discoursers  and  meddlers  whose  memory  is  preserved 
by  history.  Aside  from  these  weaknesses,  Gronski  pos- 
sessed a  highly  developed  capacity  for  sympathizing  with 
human  suffering  and  human  thoughts,  and  was  on  the 
whole  a  man  of  fine  sentiment.  Poland  he  loved  sincerely 
as  he  wished  her  to  be;  that  is,  noble,  enlightened,  cul- 
tured, as  European  as  possible,  but  not  losing  her  Lechite 
traits,  and  holding  in  her  hand  the  flag  with  the  white 
eagle.  That  eagle  seemed  to  him  to  be  one  of  the  noblest 
symbols  on  earth. 

Within  the  compass  of  his  personal  feelings,  as  a  man 
and  aesthete,  he  loved  Marynia,  but  it  was  a  love  of  a 
heavenly-blue  hue,  not  scarlet.  At  the  beginning  he  ad- 
mired within  her,  as  he  said,  "the  music  and  the  dove;" 
afterwards,  not  having  any  near  relatives,  he  became  at- 
tached to  her  like  an  older  brother  to  a  little  sister,  or  as  a 
father  to  a  child.  She,  on  her  part,  grateful  for  this  attach- 
ment and  at  the  same  time  esteeming  his  mind  and  char- 
acter, reciprocated  with  her  whole  heart. 

In  the  main,  human  sympathy  and  friendship  encom- 
passed Gronski,  for  even  strangers,  even  people  separated 
from  him  by  a  chasm  of  belief  and  convictions,  even  those 
whom  he  annoyed  with  his  habit  of  pressing  his  forefinger 
to  his  forehead  and  thinking  aloud,  esteemed  him  for  his 
ability  to  sympathize,  his  humanity  and  forbearance,  which 
were  like  the  open  doors  of  a  hospitable  house.  . 


112  WHIRLPOOLS. 

Laskowicz  also  felt  this.  If  he  was  to  ride  with  Dol- 
hanski,  for  instance,  he  would  have  preferred  to  go  afoot 
and  carry  his  luggage  on  his  back.  But  Dolhanski  in 
Jastrzeb  pretended  not  to  see  him  at  all,  while  Gronski 
always  greeted  him  amiably,  and  several  times  opened  a 
conversation  with  him  which  never  was  lengthy  for  the 
reason  that  Laskowicz  limited  it  and  broke  it  off.  Now, 
however,  sitting  beside  Gronski  he  was  pleased  with  his 
company.  He  cherished  in  his  soul  a  hope  that  Gronski, 
speaking  of  the  persons  remaining  in  Jastrzeb,  would  say 
something  about  Panna  Marynia  and  he  craved  to  hear 
her  name.  Besides,  he  was  moved  by  the  leave-taking 
with  little  Anusia,  for  it  happened  for  the  first  time  in  his 
life  that  any  one  bidding  him  farewell  had  tears  in  her 
eyes,  and  he  was  grateful  to  the  chance  which  afforded 
him  an  opportunity  of  exchanging  a  few  words  with  Panna 
Marynia  before  driving  away.  So  his  heart  melted  and 
he  was  willing  to  talk  sincerely,  especially  with  a  man 
against  whom  he  felt  no  antipathy. 

Somehow  they  did  not  wait  long,  for  they  had  barely 
reached  the  end  of  the  avenue  when  Gronski,  with  the 
kind  and  confidential  anxiety  of  an  older  man  who  does 
not  understand  what  has  taken  place  and  is  ready  to 
grumble,  placed  his  hand  upon  his  knee  and  said: 

"My  dear  sir,  what  mischief  have  you  stirred  up  in 
Rzeslewo  ?  It  may  now  come  to  some  serious  collisions, 
and  it  is  said  that  you  people  intend  to  do  the  same  evevy- 
where." 

"In  Rzeslewo  we  did  what  the  good  of  our  idea  de- 
manded," answered  Laskowicz. 

"But  an  agricultural  school  is  involved  and  such  schools 
are  absolutely  necessary  for  the  people.  Why  did  you 
circulate  the  story  among  the  peasants  that  the  land  was 
to  be  divided  among  them?" 

Laskowicz  hesitated  as  to  whether  to  leave  the  question 


WHIRLPOOLS.  113 

unanswered,  but  he  was  disarmed  by  Gronski's  counte- 
nance, at  once  benevolent  and  worried,  so  he  replied : 

"Every  party  must  keep  its  eyes  upon  everything  in 
order  to  know  what  is  occurring  in  the  country  and  take 
advantage  of  its  opportunities.  In  the  case  of  Rzeslewo  I 
was  the  eye  of  the  party,  and  in  the  further  course  of  time 
I  acted  in  accordance  with  the  directions  sent  to  me.  In 
reality,  we  could  not  foresee  how  the  deceased  would  dis- 
pose of  his  estate.  But  that  is  all  one.  We  do  not  need 
schools  founded  by  the  classes  with  which  we  are  at  war 
and  conducted  in  their  spirit." 

"You  do  not  need  them,  but  the  people  need  them." 

"The  people  can  learn  husbandry  without  the  assistance 
of  the  nobility  as  soon  as  they  own  something  on  which 
they  can  learn.  The  lands  of  the  nobles  will  be  more 
beneficial  to  them  than  their  schools.  They  have  tilled 
that  soil  of  Rzeslewo  for  hundreds  of  years,  and  if  you 
figure  at  the  rate  of  one  penny  for  each  day's  labor,  that 
land  has  been  paid  for  a  hundred  times  more  than  it  is 
worth." 

"But  you  arouse  merely  a  desire  for  land;  you  cannot 
give  it.  Besides,  permit  me,  sir,  to  say  that  in  respect  to 
your  doctrine  you  are  illogical.  For,  of  course,  your  aim 
is  to  nationalize  the  land.  Now  such  land  as  that  of 
Rzeslewo,  for  instance,  donated  for  school  purposes  is,  in 
a  manner,  nationalized;  but  a  partition  of  it  among  the 
peasants  would  disintegrate  it  into  individual  ownership 
by  a  number  of  small  holders." 

"The  nationalization  of  land  is  our  ultimate  object, 
therefore  distant.  In  the  meantime  we  want  to  get  the 
people  into  our  camp,  so  we  use  such  means  as  will  lead 
to  that  end.  We  cannot  give  the  land,  but  the  people 
themselves  can  take  it." 

"The  most  you  can  accomplish  is  to  get  them  to  take  it. 
Assume  that  in  Rzeslewo  the  husbandmen,  tenants,  and 

8 


114'  WHIRLPOOLS. 

hired  hands  seize  the  land  and  divide  it  between  them. 
What  follows  ?  Do  you  not  see  the  clashes,  the  knouting, 
the  courts  and  sanguinary  executions  which  will  overtake 
them?" 

"Do  you  not  believe  that  this  would  be  water  for  our 
mill  ?  The  more  there  is  of  that,  the  sooner  our  end  will 
be  attained." 

"And  so  I  guessed  rightly,"  said  Gronski,  recalling  his 
statement  to  Ladislaus  and  Dolhanski  that  the  summon- 
ing of  the  police  would  be  playing  into  the  hands  of  the 
agitators, 

Laskowicz  wanted  to  ask  what  Gronski  had  guessed 
rightly,  but  the  latter  forestalled  him  and  continued : 

"There  is  another  singular  thing.  If  misfortune  over- 
takes any  one  of  you,  whether  imprisonment,  deportation, 
or  death,  then  we,  that  is,  the  people  who  do  not  belong  to 
your  ranks,  the  people  against  whom  you  have  declared 
war  to  the  death,  say :  '  Too  bad  1  such  zeal  I  what  a  pity 
—  such  misguided  sacrifice !  how  deplorable,  —  such  a 
young  head!'  and  we  grieve  for  you.  But  you  do  not  re- 
gret those  people  whose  defenders  you  proclaim  yourself 
to  be.  You  arrange  industrial  strikes  and  pull  the  string 
until  it  breaks  and  later,  when  the  manufacturers  tie  it 
again  it  becomes  shorter  than  ever  before.  Already 
thousands  are  dying  of  starvation.  And  now  you  want 
an  agricultural  strike,  after  which  bread  becomes  dearer 
and  scarcer.  Who  suffers  by  this?  Again  the  people. 
Truly  at  times  it  is  impossible  to  resist  the  thought  that 
you  love  your  doctrines  more  than  the  people." 

To  this  Laskowicz  answered  in  a  harsh,  hollow  voice: 

"That  is  war.    There  must  be  sacrifices." 

Gronski  involuntarily  looked  at  him  and,  seeing  his 
eyes  set  so  closely  to  each  other,  thought: 

"No!  Such  eyes  really  can  only  look  straight  ahead 
and  are  incapable  of  taking  in  a  wider  horizon." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  115 

For  some  time  they  rode  in  silence.  A  light  southern 
breeze  rose  and  bore  with  the  cloud  of  dust  the  odor  of 
the  horses'  sweat.  From  thickets  on  the  wayside  flew 
swarms  of  horse-flies,  which  pestered  the  horses  so  much 
that  the  coachman  brushed  their  backs  with  the  whip  and 
swore. 

Suddenly  Gronski  asked: 

"Sacrifices!  But  to  what  divinity  do  you  offer  those 
sacrifices?    What  is  your  aim  and  what  do  you  want?" 

"Daily  bread  and  universal  liberty." 

"But  in  the  meantime,  instead  of  bread,  you  give  them 
stones.  As  to  liberty,  you  will  please,  sir,  take  into  con- 
sideration two  thoughts.  The  first  can  be  expressed  thus : 
Woe  to  the  nations  that  love  liberty  more  than  fatherland  I 
Naturally  I  am  not  speaking  of  subjugated  nations,  for  in 
such  a  situation  the  conceptions  of  liberty  and  fatherland 
become  almost  identical.  But  consider,  sir,  what  really 
caused  the  political  downfall  of  Poland  and  what  is  blight- 
ing France,  which  before  our  eyes  is  falling  apart  like  a 
barrel  without  hoops?  A  second  thought  which  often 
comes  to  my  mind  is  that  liberty  crossing  the  boundaries 
set  by  national  prosperity  and  safety  is  necessary  only  for 
rogues.  You  certainly  will  regard  this  last  opinion  as  the 
acme  of  retrogression,  but  it  is  none  the  less  the  truth." 

Laskowicz's  face  reflected  suspicion  and  offence,  but  it 
was  so  apparent  that  Gronski  did  not  allude  to  him  per- 
sonally, and  was  only  ennunciating  a  general  view,  that 
he  did  not  break  off  further  conversation. 

"Liberty  of  association  and  syndicates,"  he  said,  "by 
the  aid  of  which  the  proletariat  is  defending  itself,  do  not 
endure  any  limitations.  You,  sir,  after  all  confuse  the 
conceptions  of  the  people  and  the  empire ;  —  as  a  realist 
you  are  concerned  above  all  about  the  empire." 

And  Gronski  began  to  laugh: 

"  I,  a  realist  ?  "  he  said.     "  I  do  not  belong  to  the  realists. 


t 


116  WHIRLPOOLS. 

They  are  not  foolish  people  and  on  the  whole  act  in  good 
faith,  but  they  commit  one  error.  They  go  out  to  plough 
for  the  spring  sowing  in  December;  that  is  when  the 
ploughshares  cannot  break  the  frozen  ground.  Or  if  you 
prefer  another  comparison,  they  buy  their  summer  cloth- 
ing during  the  severest  winter  season.  I  do  not  know ; 
perhaps  the  sun  will  at  some  time  shine  and  it  will  be 
warm,  as  everything  in  this  world  is  possible,  but  in  the 
meantime  the  ears  are  frost-bitten  and  the  moths  destroy 
the  clothes." 

And  thinking  only  of  the  realists,  he  continued : 

"Realists  desire  to  reckon  with  this  reality,  which  does 
not  want  to  reckon  with  them  or  anybody  else.  For  as- 
sume, sir,  for  example,  that  the  name  of  a  faction  is  Peter 
and  this  Peter  in  perfect  sincerity  turns  to  Reality  and 
says :  '  Listen,  oh  Maiden !  I  am  prepared  to  acknowl- 
edge you  and  even  love  you,  but  in  return  permit  me  to 
stand  on  my  own  feet,  to  breathe  a  little  and  stretch  out 
my  aching  bones.'  And  Reality  with  true  Ural  affability 
answers:  'Peter,  my  son  Peter,  you  are  wandering  from 
the  subject,  and  I  take  away  from  you  the  right  to  speak. 
I  am  not  concerned  about  your  acknowledging  or  loving 
me,  but  only  that  you  should  unbutton  yourself,  divest 
yourself  of  certain  clothes  which,  speaking  parenthetically, 
may  be  of  service  to  me;  that  you  should  again  lie  upon 
that  bench  and  as  to  the  rest  trust  in  my  power  and  whip.' 
If  any  realist  heard  me  he  might  dispute  this,  but  in  his 
soul,  he  would  concede  the  justness  of  the  illustration." 

"You  will  admit,  then,"  exclaimed  Laskowicz,  with  a 
certain  triumph,  "that  we  alone  are  hitting  this  Reality 
on  the  head  ?  " 

"You  are  hitting  her,"  answered  Gronski,  "but  your 
fists  rebound  from  her  stony  head  and  land  in  the  pit  of 
your  own  community,  which  loses  its  remnant  of  breath 
and  swoons.    By  this,  you  even  aid  Reality." 


I 


WHIRLPOOLS.  117 

And  here  recollecting  what  he  had  said  about  the  ant- 
hills and  ant-eaters,  he  repeated  it  to  Laskowicz. 

But  Laskowicz  would  not  agree  to  the  comparison,  ob- 
serving that  it  had  only  a  specious  appearance  of  the  truth, 
for  the  human  conditions  could  not  be  adjusted  by  con- 
ditions existing  in  an  ant-hill. 

"Whoever  aspires  to  make  the  proletariat  powerful  by 
the  same  act  gives  the  nation  new  strength  sufficient  to 
repel  all  attacks  and  blows.  Only  on  this  road  can  any- 
thing be  gained,  though  only  for  the  simple  reason  that  it 
will  have  allies  in  the  proletariat  of  adjoining  countries, 
who  from  enemies  will  become  friends." 

"That  would  only  be  a  coalition  at  the  bottom,"  said 
Gronski. 

"And  for  that  reason  irrepressible  and  effectual.  For 
we  are  continually  hearing  of  Poland  !  Poland  !  But  those 
who  all  the  time  are  repeating  that  combine  with  Poland 
various  things  which  have  outlived  their  usefulness,  such 
as  religion,  church,  and  conservatism,  which  cover  her 
with  mould  or  with  corpses  which  already  are  rotting. 
We  alone  unite  Poland  with  an  idea,  powerful,  young,  and 
vital,  if  only  for  the  reason  that  all  youth  is  with  us." 

"In  the  first  place,  not  all  youth,  nor  even  one  half," 
answered  Gronski;  "and  again,  the  church  has  survived 
and  will  survive  many  a  social  movement;  and  thirdly, 
your  idea  is  as  ancient  as  poverty  itself  on  this  earth.  If 
you  desire,  sir,  to  contend  that  the  form  which  La  Salle 
and  Marx  gave  it  is  new,  then  I  will  answer  you  thus: 
Your  modern  socialism  has  too  thick  tufts  of  hair  on  its 
scalp,  but  when  it  begins  to  get  bald,  none  will  scoff  at  it 
so  much  as  the  young." 

"You  are  continually  speaking  in  aphorisms,  but  for- 
tunately aphorisms  are  like  paper  lanterns  hung  on  the 
trees  of  dialectics;  in  the  dark  they  can  be  seen;  in  the 
broad  daylight  they  are  extinct." 


118  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"Behold  another  aphorism,  cut  and  dried,"  answered 
Gronski,  laughing.  "  No,  sir,  that  which  I  said  had  another 
meaning.  I  wanted  to  say  that  the  socialist  commonwealth, 
if  you  ever  establish  one,  will  be  such  a  surrender  of  hu- 
man institutions,  such  a  jamming  of  man  into  the  driving- 
wheels  of  the  general  mechanism,  such  a  restraint  and 
slavery  that  even  the  present  kingdom  of  Prussia,  in  com- 
parison, would  be  a  temple  of  liberty.  And  in  reality,  a 
reaction  would  set  in  at  once.  The  press,  literature, 
poetry,  and  art,  in  the  name  of  individualism  and  its  free- 
dom, would  declare  an  inexorable  war;  and  do  you  know, 
sir,  who  would  carry  the  banner  of  the  opposition  ?  Youth ! 
That  is  as  true  as  that  those  lapwings  are  now  flying  over 
that  meadow." 

And  here  he  pointed  at  a  flock  of  lapwings,  hovering 
over  a  field  on  which  cattle  were  grazing.  After  which 
he  added : 

"In  France  it  is  already  beginning.  Not  long  ago  a 
few  thousand  students  paraded  the  streets  of  Paris,  shout- 
ing :    '  Down  with  the  Republic ! ' " 

"That  is  merely  swinging  around  in  a  circle,"  replied 
Laskowicz;  "that  was  a  clash  with  radicalism  and  not 
with  us.  We  also  despise  it.  The  bourgeoisie  imagine 
that  radicalism  in  a  certain  emergency  will  shield  them 
from  the  revenge  of  the  proletariat,  but  they  are  deceiving 
themselves.  In  the  meanwhile  they  are  clearing  the  way 
for  the  revolution." 

"In  this  I  admit  you  are  right;"  answered  Gronski, 
"I  saw  in  Cairo  how  the  sais  ran  before  the  carriages  of 
the  pashas  shouting,  *  Out  of  the  way !  Out  of  the  way ! ' 
Radicalism  is  performing  the  same  service  for  you." 

"Yes,"  corroborated  Laskowicz,  with  a  brightened 
countenance. 

Gronski  took  off  his  spectacles  to  wipe  off  the  dust  and 
winked  his  eyes. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  119 

"But  amongst  you  there  are  also  differences.  The 
French  sociaUsm  is  different,  so  is  the  German,  and  the 
EngUsh,  and  in  their  midst  we  find  opposing  camps.  For 
that  reason  I  shall  not  speak  of  socialism  in  general.  I  am 
only  interested  in  the  home  product,  of  which  you  are  an 
agent;  for,  from  what  you  have  said,  I  infer  that  you 
belong  to  the  so-called  Polish  Socialistic  party." 

"Yes,"  answered  Laskowicz  with  energy. 

Gronski  replaced  the  cleaned  spectacles  and  unfurled 
all  his  sails: 

"You  claim,  therefore,  that  in  the  name  of  Poland  you 
have  joined  youth  with  a  powerful  idea,  through  which 
you  have  infused  into  her  veins  new  blood.  And  I  reply 
that  this  idea,  whatever  it  may  be,  has  degenerated  in  your 
minds  to  the  extent  that  it  ceased  to  be  a  social  idea  and 
has  become  a  social  disease.  You  have  infected  Poland 
with  a  disease  and  nothing  more.  The  new  Polish  edifice 
must  be  constructed  with  bricks  and  stones  and  not  with 
bombs  and  dynamite.  And  in  you  there  is  neither  brick 
nor  stone.  You  are  only  a  shriek  of  hatred.  You  have 
abandoned  the  old  gospels  and  are  incapable  of  creating 
a  new  one ;  in  consequence  of  which  you  cannot  offer  any 
pledge  of  life.  Your  name  is  Error  and  for  that  reason 
the  resultant  force  of  your  activities  will  be  contrary  to 
you  presuppositions.  By  pulling  the  strings  of  strikes  you 
lead  the  people  to  naught  else  than  to  debility  and  wretched- 
ness and  from  feeble  beggars  you  are  not  able  to  build  a 
powerful  Poland.  That  is  the  actual  fact.  Besides,  on 
one  and  the  same  head  you  cannot  wear  two  caps  unless 
one  is  underneath.  So  I  ask  which  is  underneath?  Is 
your  socialism  only  a  means  of  building  Poland?  Or  is 
your  Poland  only  a  bait  and  catchword  to  gather  the  people 
into  your  camp?  The  socialists,  who  call  themselves 
socialists  without  any  qualifications  and  do  not  insist  that 
the  same  entity  can  be  fish  and  fowl  at  the  same  time, 


120  WHIRLPOOLS. 

are,  I  admit,  more  logical.  But  you  mislead  the  people. 
The  truth  is  that  even  if  you  wanted  to  you  could  not  do 
anything  Polish,  for  there  is  nothing  Polish  in  you.  The 
schools  from  which  you  graduated  did  not  take  away  the 
language,  for  they  could  not  do  that,  but  they  molded  your 
minds  and  souls  in  such  a  manner  that  you  are  not  Poles, 
but  Russians  despising  Russia.  How  Poland  and  Russia 
will  fare  by  this  is  another  matter,  but  such  is  the  case.  To 
you  it  seems  that  you  are  making  a  revolution,  but  it  is  an 
ape  of  a  revolution,  and  in  addition  a  foreign  one.  You 
are  the  evil  flower  of  a  foreign  spirit.  It  is  enough  to  take 
your  periodicals,  your  writers,  poets,  and  critics !  Their 
whole  mental  apparatus  is  foreign.  Their  real  aim  is  not 
even  socialism  nor  the  proletariat,  but  annihilation.  — 
Firebrand  in  hand,  and  at  the  bottom  of  their  souls  hope- 
lessness and  the  great  nihil !  And  of  course  we  know 
where  it  originated.  The  Galician  socialism  likewise  is  not 
an  Apollo  Belvedere,  but  nevertheless  it  has  different  linea- 
ments and  less  broad  cheek-bones.  There  is  not  in  it  this 
rabidness  and  also  this  despair  and  sorrow  which  conflicts 
with  the  Latin  culture.  You  are  like  certain  fruit:  on 
one  side  green,  on  the  other  rotten.  You  are  sick.  That 
sickness  explains  the  limitless  want  of  logic,  based  on  this ; 
that  crying  against  wars,  you  create  war;  decrying  courts- 
martial,  you  condemn  without  any  trial ;  and  denouncing 
capital  punishment,  you  thrust  revolvers  in  the  hands  of 
the  people  and  say,  'Kill.'  This  disease  also  explains  your 
insane  outbreaks,  your  indifference  to  consequences,  and 
to  the  fate  of  those  ill-fated  men  whom  you  make  your 
tools.  Let  them  assassinate,  let  them  rob  the  treasuries, 
but  whether  later  they  will  hang  in  the  halter  is  a  matter  of 
little  consequence  to  you.  Your  nihil  permits  you  to  spit 
upon  blood  and  ethics.  You  open  wide  the  doors  to  notori- 
ous scoundrels  and  allow  them  to  represent  not  their  own 
villany,  but  your  idea.     You,  generally  speaking,  carry 


WHIRLPOOLS.  121 

ruin  with  you  and  join  Poland  to  that  ruin.  In  your  party 
there  are,  without  doubt,  men  of  conviction  and  good 
faith,  but  blind,  who  in  their  blindness  are  serving  a  differ- 
ent master  than  they  imagine." 

Gronski  knew  that  he  was  speaking  in  vain,  but  whether 
from  habit,  or  because  he  wanted  to  relieve  himself  of  all 
that  had  accumulated  within  him,  he  talked  until  the  rattle 
of  the  wheels  on  the  city  pavements  drowned  his  words. 
They  parted  rather  coldly  before  the  hotel,  for  Gronski's 
views  touched  the  young  medical  student  to  the  quick.  He 
did  not  admit  that  Gronski  was  in  the  least  right,  but  that 
such  views  should  be  entertained  filled  him  with  rage  and 
indignation.  He  indeed  said  to  himself,  "It  is  not  worth 
while  answering,  but  our  minds  are  not  foreign,  and  our 
idea  is  new.  Society  is  like  a  person  who,  having  for  many 
years  lived  in  a  house,  is  always  reluctant  to  move  into 
another  though  that  other  is  much  better."  Nevertheless 
the  words  of  Gronski  stung  him  so  deeply  that  at  that 
moment  he  hated  him  as  much  as  he  did  Krzycki  and 
would  have  given  a  great  deal  if  he  could  trample  upon 
and  crush  the  charges,  so  odious  to  him.  Unfortunately 
for  him  he  lacked  time  for  it,  and  besides,  weariness  after  a 
sleepless  night  began  to  overpower  him  more  and  more. 

Gronski  went  to  the  post-office,  received  a  package 
with  the  saddle,  and  afterwards  drove  to  the  doctor's,  but 
learning  that  the  latter  would  not  be  free  for  an  hour,  he 
left  the  carriage  at  his  door  and  went  to  visit  the  old  notary 
and  at  the  same  time  deliver  to  him  an  invitation  from 
Krzycki  to  visit  Jastrzeb. 

The  notary  was  pleased  to  receive  the  invitation,  as  he 
had  decided  to  visit  the  Krzyckis  without  one,  in  order,  as 
he  said,  to  behold  the  "eyes  of  his  head"  and  hear  her 
miracle-working  violin.  In  the  meantime  he  began  to 
speak  about  the  events  which  had  occurred  in  the  city  and 
neighborhood.    He  was  so  impressed  and  affected  by  them 


122  WHIRLPOOLS. 

that  his  customary  choler  left  him,  and  in  his  words  there 
was  an  undertone  of  bitter  sorrow  and  heavy  anxiety  for 
the  future  of  the  community,  which  seemed  to  have  lost 
its  head.  Factory  strikes  and  to  some  extent  agricultural 
strikes  were  spreading.  In  the  city  the  lime-kilns  had 
ceased  to  bum  and  the  cement  works  were  at  a  standstill. 
The  workingmen,  who,  not  having  any  savings,  formerly 
lived  from  hand  to  mouth,  in  the  first  moments  lacked 
bread.  After  the  example  of  Warsaw,  a  local  committee 
was  organized  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  funds  to  pre- 
vent starvation.  But  as  a  result,  this  peculiar  situation 
was  created :  the  people  most  opposed  to  the  cessation  of 
work  encouraged  it  by  furnishing  food  to  the  idle.  "A 
veritable  round  of  errors!"  said  the  worried  old  gentle- 
man. "  Do  not  give ;  then  starvation  follows  and  despair 
hurls  the  workingman  into  the  arms  of  the  socialists ;  give, 
and  you  also  are  playing  into  their  hands,  because  they 
have  something  with  which  to  support  the  strike  and  can 
convince  the  people  of  their  omnipotence."  He  further 
related  that  outside  of  the  committee  the  socialists  were 
collecting  money,  or  rather  were  extorting  it  from  the 
timid  by  threats;  that  they  called  upon  him  but  he  told 
them  that  he  would  give  for  bread  but  not  for  bombs. 
They  then  threatened  him  with  death,  for  which  he  had 
them  thrown  out  of  his  office. 

For  a  while  he  remained  silent  for  the  inborn  choler 
assumed  supremacy  over  sorrow;  he  also  began  to  roll 
his  eyes  angrily  and  moved  his  jaws  furiously,  as  if  he 
wanted  to  eat  all  the  sociaUsts,  together  with  their  red 
standard. 

Afterwards,  when  his  rage  had  spent  itself,  he  continued : 
"  Day  before  yesterday  they  sent  me  a  sentence  of  death 
which  they  surely  will  execute,  as  they  have  declared  war 
against  the  government  and  they  butcher  their  own  country- 
men.   Well,  that  is  a  small  matter !    Three  days  ago  they 


WHIRLPOOLS.  123 

killed  a  master  tinner  and  two  workingmen  in  the  cement 
factory.  In  Wilczodola,  a  few  versts  from  here,  they  way- 
laid and  maimed  Pan  Baezynski  and  robbed  the  branch 
office  of  the  governmental  whiskey  monopoly  besides. 
Szremski,  that  doctor  for  whom  you  came  and  whose 
optimism  sticks  like  a  bone  in  my  throat,  says  that  it  is 
but  a  passing  stonn !  Yes,  everything  does  pass  away, 
individuals  as  well  as  whole  nations.  I  fear  that  ours 
too  is  passing  away ;  for  we  have  become  a  nation  of  bandits 
and  banditism  never  can  be  a  permanent  institution.  Well  I 
The  people,  after  these  acts  of  violence,  have  in  reality 
become  tired  of  robbing  for  the  benefit  of  their  party  and 
now  prefer  to  rob  on  their  own  account.  Do  I  know 
whether  we  will  arrive  alive  at  Krzyckis  to-day  ?  Bah  I 
Krzycki  ought  to  be  more  on  his  guard  than  any  one  else. 
He  passes  for  a  rich  man  and  for  that  reason  they  will 
keep  him  in  their  eye.  I  will  go  to  Jastrzeb  for  if  I  am  to 
be  assassinated,  before  it  takes  place  I  want  to  hear  once 
more  our  child-wonder.  But  in  truth,  Krzycki,  instead 
of  inviting  more  guests,  should  dismiss  those  who  are 
staying  there  now.  The  doctor,  if  he  had  any  sense, 
would  find  an  excuse  for  dispersing  them  all  to-morrow." 

"I  heard  that  he  is  an  excellent  man,"  said  Gronski. 

"An  excellent  devil!"  answered  the  notary.  "You 
remember  whom  you  have  among  you,  and  it  is  only  about 
her  that  I  am  concerned." 

Gronski,  though  disquieted  and  distressed  by  Dzwon- 
kowski's  narrative,  could  not  refrain  from  laughing  when 
he  heard  the  last  admonition,  for  translated  into  plain 
words  it  meant,  "May  the  deuce  impale  you  all,  if  only  no 
evil  befalls  the  little  violinist."  But  whenever  Marynia 
was  involved  he  himself  was  always  willing  to  subscribe  to 
similar  sentiments ;  therefore  he  began  to  pacify  the  aged 
official  by  telling  him  that  in  Jastrzeb  there  were,  counting 
the  guests  and  manor  people,  too  many  hands  and  too 


124  WHIRLPOOLS. 

many  arms  to  have  any  fears  of  an  attack;  and  that, 
besides,  Pani  Krzycki's  probable  departure  would  end  the 
visit  of  the  guests.  Further  conversation  was  broken  by  the 
arrival  of  Doctor  Szremski  who,  having  dashed  in  like  a 
bomb,  announced  that  he  was  free  for  the  remainder  of 
the  day  and  could  ride  with  Gronski. 

Gronski  gazed  at  him  with  great  interest,  for  even  in 
Warsaw  he  heard  of  him  as  an  original  and  prominent 
personality,  in  the  favorable  meaning  of  those  words. 

He  was  quite  a  young  man,  with  tawny  hair,  swarthy 
like  a  gypsy,  with  a  countenance  alive  with  fire,  bubbling 
with  health,  somewhat  loud  and  brisk  in  his  manners. 
In  the  city  he  played  an  uncommon  r6le  not  only  because 
he  had  the  largest  medical  practice,  but  because  he  belonged 
to  the  most  active  men  in  any  field.  He  entered  into  every 
project  as  if  to  an  attack,  and  thanks  to  a  sober  and  an 
exceptional  temper  of  mind,  whatever  he  did  was  done, 
on  the  whole,  sensibly  and  well.  He  was,  as  it  were,  a 
personification  of  that  phenomenon,  frequent  in  Poland, 
where,  when  amidst  a  public  not  only  trammelled  but  neg- 
ligent and  indolent  by  nature,  a  man  of  energy  and  with 
an  idea  is  found,  he  is  able  to  accomplish  more  than  any 
German,  Frenchman,  or  Englishman  could  have  done.  He 
himself  participated  in  every  undertaking  and  compelled 
others  to  work  with  such  spirit  that  he  was  nicknamed 
"Doctor  Spur."  He  established  secret  schools,  reading 
rooms,  nurseries  for  the  children,  economical  associations, 
and  for  everything  he  gave  money,  of  which  he  earned  a 
great  deal,  though  he  treated  gratis  throngs  of  the  penni- 
less. The  local  socialists  hated  him,  for  by  his  popularity 
and  influence  with  the  workingmen  he  frustrated  their 
efforts.  The  authorities  looked  at  him  with  suspicion  and 
with  an  evil  eye.  A  man  who  loved  his  country,  organ- 
ized life,  spread  enlightenment,  and  donated  money  for 
public  uses,  must  in  their  eyes  be  a  suspicious  character 


WHIRLPOOLS.  125 

and  deserved  at  least  deportation  to  a  "distant  province." 
Fortunately  for  him,  the  governor's  wife  imagined  that 
she  was  suffering  from  some  nervous  ailment  and  the  local 
captain  of  the  gendarmery  was  actually  troubled  with 
incipient  aneurism  of  the  aorta.  So  then  the  governor's 
wife,  who  through  her  connections  had  made  her  husband 
governor  and  ruled  the  province  as  she  pleased,  was  of  the 
opinion  that  if  it  were  not  for  this  "I'homme  qui  rit"  (as 
she  called  the  doctor),  eternal  mourning  would  have  be- 
fallen the  governor,  and  the  captain  of  the  gendarmes 
feared  alike  the  gubernatorial  connections  and  the  aneur- 
ism. He  had  indeed  prepared  a  report  which  he  regarded 
as  the  masterpiece  of  his  life;  and  perhaps  he  became  ill 
because  he  dared  not  send  it  to  the  higher  authorities. 
Sometimes  in  his  dreams,  he  arrested  the  doctor,  subjected 
him  to  an  examination,  forced  him  to  divulge  his  accom- 
plices, and  dreamt  also  that  the  report  might  be  used  in 
case  the  governor  and  himself  were  transferred  to  another 
province ;  but  it  was  only  a  dream.  In  reality  the  report 
reposed  on  the  bottom  of  a  drawer  and  the  doctor,  who 
read  it  (for  the  captain  showed  it  to  him  in  proof  of  what 
he  could  have  done  but  did  not  do),  laughed  so  ingenuously 
and  was  so  confident  of  himself  that  it  occurred  to  the 
captain's  mind  that  in  reality  there  was  no  joking  with  the 
governor's  wife  or  the  aneurism. 

The  doctor  laughed  because  he  was  by  nature  unusually 
jovial.  In  certain  cases  he  could  think  and  speak  gravely, 
but  at  chance  meetings  and  at  casual  talks,  in  which 
there  was  no  time  for  weighty  discourse,  he  preferred  to  slide 
over  the  surface  of  the  subject,  scatter  jests,  and  tell  anec- 
dotes, which  later  were  repeated  over  the  city,  and  which 
he  himself  much  enjoyed.  His  optimism  and  beaming 
countenance  created  incurable  optimism  and  hope  and 
good  thoughts  wherever  he  appeared.  He  joked  with 
the  sick   about   their  sickness  and  with  jokes  dispelled 


126  WHIRLPOOLS. 

their  fears.  His  mirth  won  the  people  and  a  well-grounded 
medical  knowledge  and  efficacious  watchfulness  over  their 
health  and  lives  assured  him  a  certain  kind  of  sway 
over  them.  For  this  reason  he  did  not  mind  the  "big 
fish,"  or  in  fact  anybody.  Such  was  the  case  with  the  no- 
tary whose  perpetual  choler  and  irascibility  were  known 
all  over  the  city,  so  that  social  relations  with  him  were  main- 
tained only  by  those  who  were  exceptionally  interested  in 
music.  The  doctor,  who  also  cracked  jokes  about  music, 
sought  his  company,  purposely  to  nettle  him  and  afterwards 
to  tell  about  his  outbreaks,  to  his  own  amusement  and  that 
of  his  hearers. 

And  now  he  rushed  in  with  the  crash  of  a  squall,  became 
acquainted  with  Gronski,  asked  about  the  health  of  Pani 
Krzycki  and  about  the  pretty  ladies  staying  in  Jastrzeb 
of  whom  he  had  already  heard ;  after  which,  observing  the 
distressed  face  of  the  notary,  he  exclaimed  merrily: 

"What  a  mien!  Is  it  so  bad  with  us  in  this  world,  or 
what  ?  Seventy-five  years  !  A  great  thing !  Truly  it  is 
not  the  age  of  strength,  but  it  is  the  strength  of  the  age ! 
Please  show  your  pulse ! " 

Here,  without  further  asking  the  notary,  he  grabbed  his 
hand,  and  pulling  out  his  watch,  began  to  count : 

"  One,  two  —  one,  two !  —  one,  two !  Bad  !  It  is  the 
pulse  of  one  in  love.  There  are  symptoms  of  a  slight 
heartburn !  Such  is  usually  the  case.  Such  a  machine 
cannot  last  more  than  twenty-five  years,  —  at  the  most 
thirty.    Thank  you!" 

Saying  this  he  dropped  the  old  man's  hand,  whose 
mien  brightened  in  expectation,  for  he  thought  that 
twenty-five  years  added  to  what  he  had  already  lived 
would  make  quite  a  respectable  age. 

Pretending,  however,  to  scowl,  he  answered:  . 

"Always  those  jokes !  The  doctor  thinks  that  I  care  for 
those  wretched  twenty-five  years.     It  is  not  worth  while 


WHIRLPOOLS.  127 

living  now.  Of  course  you  know  what  is  taking  place. 
I  have  such  a  mien  because  I  was  just  talking  with  Pan 
Gronski  about  it.  I  also  have  a  heartburn.  Well,  I  ask 
what  will  become  of  us  if  all  the  people  should  follow  the 
socialists  ?" 

But  the  doctor  began  to  swing  his  arms  and  deny  this 
categorically.  Not  all  the  people,  nor  a  half,  nor  a  hun- 
dredth part.  And  even  those  who  say  that  they  belong  to  the 
socialists  say  so  under  terror  or  through  misapprehension. 

"I  will  give  you  gentlemen  two  examples,"  he  said.  "I 
live  on  a  lower  floor  and  beneath  me  in  the  basement  there 
is  a  locksmith's  shop.  This  morning  I  overheard  frag- 
ments of  a  conversation  between  my  servant  and  the  lock- 
smith. The  locksmith  said,  'I  am  a  socialist;  there  is 
nothing  more  to  be  said  about  it.'  'Why  is  nothing  more 
to  be  said?'  said  my  servant.  'Then you  do  not  believe 
in  God  and  do  not  love  Poland.'  'And  why  should  I  not 
believe  in  God  and  love  Poland  ?  '  '  Because  the  socialists 
do  not  believe  in  God  and  do  not  love  Poland.'  And  the 
locksmith  replied,  'So?  Then  may  sickness  plague  them.' 
That  is  the  way  people  belong  to  the  socialists.  I  do  not 
say  all,  but  a  great  many.    Ha !" 

And  he  began  to  laugh. 

"The  doctor  always  finds  an  anecdote,"  grumbled  the 
notary;  "but  let  us  tell  the  truth,  thousands  belong  to 
them." 

"Then  why  do  they  not  elect  one  deputy  in  the  king- 
dom?" retorted  the  doctor.  "Bombs  explode  loudly,  so 
they  can  be  heard  better  than  any  other  work.  But  how 
many  thousands  participated  in  the  national  parade? 
Do  these  also  belong  to  them  ?  When  in  a  factory  ten  men 
manage  to  hang  a  red  flag  on  the  chimney  it  seems  that  the 
whole  factory  is  red,  but  that  is  not  true." 

"Why  do  not  the  others  tear  it  down?" 

"Simple  reason !    Because  the  police  tear  it  down." 


128  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"And  also  because  the  socialists  have  revolvers  and  the 
others  have  not,"  added  Gronski. 

"  Undoubtedly,"  continued  the  doctor.  "  I  have  ten  times 
closer  relations  with  the  workingmen  than  any  manager 
of  a  factory.  I  go  into  their  dwellings  and  know  their  home 
life.  I  know  them.  Socialism  is  engaged  in  a  struggle 
with  the  bureaucracy;  so  it  seems  to  many  that  they 
belong  to  it.  But,  to  the  outrages  only  the  worst  and 
most  ignorant  element  assents.  The  latter  soon  change 
into  bandits,  and  that  is  not  surprising.  Their  consciences 
have  been  taken  away  from  them  and  revolvers  are  given 
to  them.  But  the  majority  —  the  better  and  more  honest 
majority  —  have  under  the  ribs  Polish  hearts ;  and  for 
that  reason  this  demon,  who  wants  to  snatch  and  carry 
them  away,  called  himself,  as  a  bait,  Polish.  Ah !  they 
only  need  schools,  enlightenment,  a  knowledge  of  Polish 
history,  in  order  not  to  allow  themselves  to  be  hoodwinked ! 
Ay,  that  is  what  they  need  1    Ay,  ay ! " 

And  in  his  gesticulations,  he  seized  the  old  man's  arm 
and  began  to  turn  him  around. 

"Schools,  Pan  Notary,  schools;  for  the  Lord's  mercy  1" 

Blood  rushed  to  the  notary's  head  from  indignation. 

"Are  you  crazy !"  he  yelled.  "Why  do  you  jolt  me  like 

"True,"  said  the  doctor,  leaving  him  alone.  "True,  but 
the  extent  to  which  these  poor  fellows  misapprehend  things 
is  enough  to  cause  one  to  weep  and  laugh  at  the  same  time." 

"No,  not  to  laugh,"  said  Gronski. 

"Do  you  know,  sir,  that  at  times,  yes,"  exclaimed  the 
doctor;  "for  listen  to  my  second  instance.  Last  Sunday, 
being  tired  as  a  dog,  I  drove  out  to  the  Gorczynski  woods, 
just  outside  of  the  city,  for  a  little  airing.  In  the  woods 
from  the  opposite  direction  came  more  than  a  dozen  of 
workingmen  who  evidently  were  enjoying  a  May  outing. 
I  saw  one  of  them  carrying  a  red  flag  on  a  newly  whittled 


WHIRLPOOLS.  129 

stick.  He  probably  brought  it  in  his  pocket  and  fastened 
it  when  they  got  to  the  woods.  'Good!'  I  thought  to 
myself,  'Sociahsts !'  And  now,  when  they  were  near,  the 
one  who  carried  the  flag  sang  lustily  to  the  tune  of  'Bar- 
toszu !  Bartoszu!'  that  which  I  will  repeat  to  you,  and 
I  pledge  my  word,  I  will  not  add  or  subtract  anything. 

'  Kosciuszko,  though  a  cobbler, 
Oj,  soundly  thrashed  the  Germans, 
Oj,  soundly  thrashed  the  Germans; 
Only,  it  is  a  great  pity 
For  us,  that  he  drowned. 
Only  it  is  a  great  pity 
For  us,  that  he  drowned.'" 

"Ah,  honest  simplicity !"  exclaimed  Gronski.  "I  would 
embrace  him  and  present  him  with  a  history  of  Poland  of 
recent  times." 

"Wait,  sir,"  shouted  the  doctor.  "I  stopped  my  so- 
cialists of  strange  rites.  It  appeared  that  almost  all  were 
known  to  me  and  I  said:  'For  the  fear  of  God,  citizens, 
Kosciuszko  was  not  a  cobbler,  he  never  thrashed  the 
Germans,  and  he  did  not  drown,  only  Prince  Joseph 
Poniatowski  did.  Come  to  me  and  I  will  give  you  a  book 
about  Kosciuszko,  Kilinski,*  and  Prince  Joseph  Ponia- 
towski, for  you  have  made  of  them  a  bigos.^  They  began 
to  thank  me  and  then  I  asked :  '  What  has  become  of  the 
eagle  on  your  flag?  did  he  go  hunting  for  mushrooms?' 
They  became  confused.  The  flag-bearer  started  to  ex- 
plain why  they  had  no  eagle.  'Why,  may  it  please  the 
doctor,'  he  said,  'they  told  us:  Do  not  take  a  flag  with  an 
eagle,  for  if  they  take  the  flag  away  from  you,  they  will 

'  Kilinski  was  one  of  the  bravest  and  most  popular  heroes 
who  fought  under  Kosciuszko.  '  He  was  a  shoe-maker  by  trade. 
—  Translator. 

^  Bigos :  a  Polish  dish  of  hashed  meat  and  cabbage.  — 
Translator. 

9 


130  WHIRLPOOLS. 

insult  the  eagle  and  you  will  suffer  shame  and  disgrace.' 
Yes.  In  this  manner  they  cheat  the  Polish  heart  of  our 
own  people." 

But  the  notary  did  not  want  to  part  with  his  black  spec- 
tacles. 

"  Well,  what  of  it  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Do  you  claim  that  if  it 
was  not  for  this  and  that  there  would  not  be  any  socialism 
amongst  us?" 

"There  is  socialism  over  the  entire  world,"  rejoined 
the  doctor,  "therefore  there  must  be  with  us.  Only  if  it 
was  not  for  this  and  that,  there  would  not  accompany  it 
highway  robbery,  savagery,  and  blindness;  there  would 
not  be  this  modern  socialism  which  has  styled  itself  Polish, 
though  its  pitch  can  be  smelt  a  mile  away." 

"Bravo  !  "  cried  Gronski.  "  I  said  the  same  thing  in  other 
words  to  another  person  on  the  road  from  Jastrzeb." 

"Ay,  Jastrzeb,"  said  the  doctor  looking  at  his  watch. 
"Here  we  are  talking  and  it  is  time  that  we  started." 

"Perhaps  the  notary  can  go  with  us,"  said  Gronski. 
"The  carriage  has  seats  for  four." 

"I  can.  Only  I  will  take  my  flute  with  me.  Well!" 
answered  the  notary. 

"Well  I"  repeated Szremski,  mimicking  him.  "Aha,  the 
flute !  Then  there  will  be  a  serenade  in  Jastrzeb,  while 
here  the  socialists  will  rob  the  office." 

The  notary  who  was  going  after  his  flute,  suddenly 
turned  around,  sniffed  vehemently,  and  said: 

"To-day  they  sent  me  a  sentence  of  death." 

"Bah!  I  already  have  received  two  of  them,"  merrily 
answered  the  doctor. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  they  were  on  the  road  to 
Jastrzeb.  On  this  occasion,  Gronski  and  the  doctor 
drew  so  closely  to  each  other  and  talked  so  much,  that,  as 
Gronski  said  later,  there  was  not  a  place  in  which  to  stick 
a  pin. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  131 


XI 

The  distance  between  the  city  and  Jastrzeb  was  not  more 
than  a  mile  and  a  half.  For  this  reason  Gronski,  the 
notary,  and  Szremski  reached  their  destination  before 
four  o'clock.  They  were  expected  for  dinner  but  in  the 
meantime  Ladislaus  conducted  the  ladies  over  the  saw- 
mill; so  the  doctor  repaired  to  Pani  Krzycki  and  Gronski 
ordered  the  saddle  unpacked  and  taken  to  Marynia's 
room.  In  a  half  hour  the  young  company  returned  and, 
greeting  the  notary,  assembled  in  the  salon  to  await  the 
dinner.  The  notary  at  the  sight  of  Marynia  forgot  all 
about  death  sentences,  about  the  outrages  perpetrated  in 
the  city,  about  socialism  and  the  whole  world  and,  after 
kissing  her  hand,  appropriated  her  exclusively  for  him- 
self. Gronski  began  to  initiate  Pani  Otocka  into  the 
reasons  of  his  trip  to  the  city,  while  Krzycki  conversed 
with  Miss  Anney  and  became  as  engrossed  with  her  as 
if  there  were  no  one  else  in  the  room.  It  was  apparent 
that  his  exclamation  on  that  morning  that  "one  could 
lose  his  head"  was  but  a  confirmation  of  a  symptom  which 
intensified  more  and  more  with  each  moment.  His  un- 
commonly handsome  young  face  glowed  as  if  from  the 
dawn,  for  in  his  bosom  he  did  have  the  dawn  of  a  new, 
happy  feeling,  which  beamed  through  the  eyes,  the  smile 
on  the  lips,  through  every  motion,  and  through  the  words 
he  addressed  to  Miss  Anney.  The  spell  held  him  more 
and  more;  a  secret  magnet  drew  him  with  steadily  in- 
creasing power  to  this  light-haired  maid,  looking  so  young, 
buxom,  and  alluring.     He  did  not  even  attempt  to  resist 


132  WHIRLPOOLS. 

that  power.  Gronski  observed  that  he  evinced  his  rapture 
too  plainly  and  that  in  the  presence  of  his  mother  he  should 
have  acted  with  more  circumspection.  Miss  Anney  also 
felt  this,  as  from  time  to  time  blushes  suffused  her  coun- 
tenance and  she  pushed  back  her  chair  a  little,  besides 
glancing  about  at  those  present  as  if  in  fear  that  the  ex- 
cessive affability  of  the  young  host  towards  her  might 
attract  too  much  attention.  But  the  matter,  however,  was 
agreeable  to  her,  for  in  her  eyes  a  certain  joy  flamed. 
Only  Dolhanski  gazed  at  her  from  time  to  time;  the 
others  were  mutually  occupied. 

The  appearance  of  the  doctor  ended  the  conversations. 
Krzycki,  after  introducing  him  to  the  ladies,  together  with 
them  began  to  inquire  about  the  health  of  the  patient, 
but  the  doctor  was  evidently  disinclined  to  speak  at  any 
length,  for  he  answered  in  a  few  words  and  in  accordance 
with  his  habit  spoke  so  loudly  that  Dolhanski,  in  his  sur- 
prise, placed  the  monocle  on  his  eye. 

"  Nothing  serious  !  Monsummano  !  Monsummano  !  or 
something  like  that !  I  will  prescribe  everything !  Noth- 
ing serious !     Nothing !" 

"But  what  is  Monsummano?"    asked  Ladislaus. 

"That  is  a  warm  hole  in  Italy  in  which  rheumatism  is 
boiled  out.  A  kind  of  purgatory  after  which  salvation 
follows  !  Besides  Italy,  a  delightful  journey !  I  will  pre- 
scribe everything  in  detail." 

Gronski,  who  often  had  travelled  over  Italy,  also  knew 
this  place  and  began  to  describe  it  to  the  curious  ladies. 
In  the  meantime  Ladislaus  talked  about  his  mother's 
health  with  the  doctor,  who,  however,  listened  to  him  in- 
attentively, repeating,  "I  will  prescribe  everything,"  shak- 
ing his  head,  and  looking  about  him,  as  if  with  curiosity, 
at  each  of  the  ladies  in  rotation.  Suddenly  he  slapped  his 
hand  on  his  knee  with  a  thwack  which  could  be  heard  all 
over  the  room  and  exclaimed : 


WHIRLPOOLS.  133 

"What  marvellous  faces  there  are  in  Jastrzeb  and  what 
skulls!    Ha!" 

Dolhanski  dropped  his  monocle,  the  ladies  looked 
amazed,  but  Krzycki  began  to  laugh. 

"The  doctor  has  a  habit  of  thinking  aloud,"  he  said. 

"And  bawling  out  yet  more  loudly,"  grumbled  the 
notary. 

"How  is  your  flute?"    the  doctor  replied,  laughingly. 

But  at  that  moment  the  servant  announced  that  dinner 
was  ready.  Hearing  this,  Pani  Otocka  turned  with  a 
peculiar  smile  to  her  sister  and  said : 

"Marynia,  your  hair  is  all  disheveled.  Look  at  your- 
self in  a  glass." 

The  young  lady  raised  her  hands  to  her  head,  but  as 
there  were  no  mirrors  in  the  salon,  she,  a  little  confused, 
said: 

"Beg  pardon,  I  will  return  immediately." 

She  hastened  to  her  room,  but  soon  returned  still  more 
confused  with  blushes  and  with  a  radiant  countenance. 

"A  ladies'  saddle  !"  she  began  to  cry,  "a  most  beautiful 
ladies'  saddle!" 

And  passing  her  eyes  over  those  present,  she  pointed  at 
Gronski : 

"Was  it  you?" 

"I  confess,"  said  Gronski,  spreading  out  his  hands  and 
bowing  his  head. 

She,  on  her  part,  had  such  a  desire  to  kiss  his  hand 
that  if  the  doctor  and  the  notary  had  not  been  present, 
she  certainly  would  have  done  so.  In  the  meanwhile  she 
began  to  thank  him  with  effusive  and  perfectly  childish 
glee. 

"I  see,  Panna  Marynia,  that  you  are  fond  of  horseback 
riding,"  said  Szremski. 

"I  am  fond  of  everything." 

"There  you  have  it,"  cried  the  amused  doctor. 


134  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"Only  secure  a  gentle  horse;  otherwise  it  will  not  be 
hard  to  meet  with  accidents,"  observed  the  notary. 

It  soon  became  apparent  that  such  a  one  could  be  pro- 
cured, for  on  the  economical  Jastrzeb  estate  horses  were 
the  only  item  of  which  a  strict  account  was  not  kept. 
Krzycki  indeed  maintained  that  they  could  be  bred  prof- 
itably, but  he  did  not  breed  them  for  gain  but  from  that 
traditional  love  of  them,  the  immoderateness  of  which 
the  reverend  Skarga,*  a  few  centuries  before,  censured  in 
his  ancestors  in  the  eloquent  words:  "Dearer  to  you  is 
the  offspring  of  a  mare  than  the  Son  of  God !"  Horses 
therefore  were  not  wanting  in  Jastrzeb  and  the  conversa- 
tion about  them  and  horsemanship  continued,  to  the  great 
dissatisfaction  of  the  notary,  throughout  the  whole  dinner. 
Those  present  learned  that  Marynia  was  not  entirely  a 
novice,  for  at  Zalesin,  at  her  sister's,  she  rode  in  summer 
time  almost  daily  in  the  company  of  the  old  manager  on  a 
clumsy,  lanky  pony,  named  Pierog.  Her  sister  would  not 
permit  her  to  ride  on  any  other  horse  and  "what  enjoy- 
ment could  there  be  riding  on  Pierog?"  She  stated  that 
this  Pierog  had  a  nasty  habit  of  returning  home,  not  when 
she  wanted  to,  but  when  he  desired  to,  and  no  urging  nor 
threats  could  swerve  him  from  his  purpose  when  once 
formed.  She  also  sincerely  envied  Miss  Anney  who  rode 
so  well  and  had  ridden  all  the  horses  in  Zalesin,  even  those 
unaccustomed  to  the  saddle.  But  in  England  all  the 
ladies  ride  on  horseback,  while  with  us  somebody  is  worry- 
ing about  somebody  else.  She  hoped,  however,  that  in 
Jastrzeb  with  so  many  skilled  riders,  "Zosia"  will  not 
have  any  fears  about  her;  and  that  immediately  after 
dinner  they  will  go  on  an  equestrian  excursion  and  that 
she  will  be  allowed  to  join  the  party,  without,  thank  God, 
Pierog. 

*  Peter  Skarga  was  the  most  famous  pulpit  orator  in  the 
history  of  Poland.  —  Translator. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  135 

Ladislaus,  in  whom  expectations  of  distant  horseback 
jaunts  in  Miss  Anney's  company  had  excited  fond  hopes, 
and  whom,  as  well  as  the  others,  the  story  about  Pierog 
had  put  into  good  humor,  turned  to  Marynia  and  said: 

"I  will  give  you  a  horse  with  iron  legs,  who  is  called 
'Swimmer'  because  he  can  swim  excellently.  As  for  an 
excursion,  the  day  is  long  and  we  could  arrange  one,  if  it 
were  not  that  it  is  beginning  to  get  cloudy." 

"It  will  surely  clear  up,"  answered  Marynia,  "and 
I  will  dress  myself  right  after  dinner." 

In  fact,  after  dinner  the  guests  were  barely  able  to  finish 
their  black  coffee  before  she  appeared  on  the  veranda, 
dressed  in  a  black,  tight-fitting  riding-habit.  In  it  she 
was  simply  charming,  but  so  slender  and  tall  that  Gronski, 
gazing  at  her  with  his  usual  admiration,  was  the  first  to 
begin  jesting: 

"A  real  little  flute,"  he  said.  "The  wind  will  carry  off 
such  a  woodcock,  especially  since  it  is  commencing  to 
blow." 

And  a  strong  blast  of  the  western,  warm  wind  really 
began  to  bend  the  tree-tops  and  drive  here  and  there  over 
the  heavens  clouds  which  on  the  azure  background  as- 
sumed large,  ruddy,  and  globular  forms. 

Ladislaus,  however,  gave  orders  to  saddle  the  horses 
and  soon  thereafter  hastened  to  the  stables  to  supervise 
the  work.  Miss  Anney  went  upstairs  to  change  her 
clothes;  Gronski  and  Dolhanski  followed  her  example. 
On  the  veranda  remained  only  Pani  Zosia,  the  doctor,  the 
notary,  and,  attired  as  an  equestrienne,  Marynia,  who  cast 
imeasy  glances  alternately  at  the  stables  and  at  the  sky, 
which  was  becoming  more  and  more  cloudy.  After  a 
time  the  first  drops  of  rain  began  to  fall  and  immediately 
thereafter  a  more  important  hindrance  to  their  excursion 
occurred,  for  unexpectedly  neighbors  from  Gorek,  Pani 
Wlocek  and  daughter,  the  same  who  attended  the  funeral 


136  WHIRLPOOLS. 

of  Zarnowski,  arrived  in  a  carriage.    In  view  of  this,  the 
horseback  jaunt  had  to  be  abandoned. 

The  Wlocek  ladies  came  to  ascertain  the  condition  of 
Pani  Krzycki's  health  and  at  the  same  time  to  beg  Ladis- 
laus  for  advice  and  succor,  for  in  Gorek  an  agricultural 
strike  had  suddenly  broke  out  among  the  manor  and 
farmhouse  laborers.  The  old  coachman  could  hardly  be 
induced  to  drive  them  to  Jastrzeb  for  he  was  threatened 
with  a  beating.  Both  ladies  were  much  frightened,  much 
powdered,  and  more  pathetic  than  ever.  After  the  first 
greetings,  mutual  introductions,  and  a  short  talk  about 
Pani  Krzycki's  rheumatism,  the  mother,  at  the  after-dinner 
tea,  addressed  Ladislaus  in  doleful  terms,  adjuring  him 
to  hasten,  like  a  knight  of  old,  to  the  defence  of  oppressed 
innocence.  She  said  that  she  was  not  concerned  about 
herself,  as  after  the  losses  she  had  survived  and  the  suffer- 
ing she  had  undergone,  "the  silent  grave"  in  the  Rzeslewo 
cemetery  was  the  most  appropriate  refuge  for  her;  but 
an  orphan  remained  who  still  had  some  claims  upon  life. 
Let  him  extend  some  friendly  protection  and  shield  from 
blows  and  attacks  this  lone  orphan  for  whom  she  herself 
was  ready  to  sacrifice  her  life.  To  this  the  orphan  replied 
that  she  too  was  not  concerned  about  herself  but  about 
the  peace  of  Mamma ;  —  and  in  this  manner  the  conversa- 
tion changed  almost  exclusively  in  to  a  dialogue  between 
these  ladies  in  which  the  words,  "Allow  me,  child,"  "Per- 
mit me,  Mamma,"  were  repeated  every  minute  and  in 
which  the  immoderate  willingness  of  both  parties  to  be 
immolated  became  in  the  end  almost  tart.  Ladislaus, 
knowing  these  ladies  of  old,  listened  gravely;  Pani  Zosia 
looked  at  the  bottom  of  her  cup,  not  daring  to  glance  at 
Marynia,  who  contracted  the  corners  of  her  mouth;  the 
notary  sniffed  and  chewed;  and  the  doctor  ejaculated  his 
"Ha  \"  with  such  resonance  that  the  flies  whisked  off  the 
net  mantle  which  covered  the  butter  and  pastry. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  137 

But,  in  the  meanwhile,  out-of-doors  the  storm  and 
thunder  began  to  rage  and  interrupted  the  sacrificial  dia- 
logue between  mother  and  daughter.  The  rooms  dark- 
ened ;  on  the  windows  for  a  time  the  patter  of  the  shower 
was  heard;  and  the  lightning  illuminated  the  cloudy 
firmament.  But  this  lasted  a  brief  while;  after  which 
Ladislaus  began  to  reply  and  promise  aid  to  the  ladies, 
always  with  becoming  gravity  but  at  the  same  time  with  a 
peculiar  kind  of  expression  on  his  face  which  portended 
that  the  young  wag  had  a  surprise  concealed  in  his  bosom. 
He  announced,  therefore,  that  he  was  ready  to  mount  a 
horse  and  invest  Gorek  with  his  care ;  afterwards  he  quieted 
the  ladies  with  the  assurances  that  the  manifestations  which 
had  so  alarmed  them  were  transient;  that  in  Rzeslewo,  it 
was  temporarily  the  same,  but  that  undoubtedly  within  a 
short  time  means  of  foiling  that  evil  would  be  found.  In 
conclusion  he  turned  to  Pani  Wlocek  and,  pointing  at  Dol- 
hanski,  unexpectedly  said: 

"I  do  not  know  whether  my  protection  will  be  effective 
for  I  must  watch  at  the  same  time  over  Rzeslewo  and  over 
Jastrzeb,  in  which  at  present  we  have  such  agreeable 
guests.  But  here  is  Pan  Dolhanski,  a  man  well  known 
for  his  courage,  energy,  and  sagacity,  who  has  given  me  the 
best  advice  about  Rzeslewo.  If  he  wished  to  aid  you  or 
if  he  agreed  to  take  into  his  hands  the  affairs  of  Gorek 
and  Kwasnoborz,  I  am  certain  that  he  would  establish 
order  there  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  and  under  his  wings, 
ladies,  no  dangers  could  befall  you." 

All  eyes,  and  particularly  the  eyes  of  the  mother  and 
daughter,  were  now  directed  at  Dolhanski.  But  if  Ladis- 
laus, who  wanted  to  revenge  himself  on  him  for  his  "of- 
ficiousness,"  calculated  that  he  would  get  him  into  an 
unexpected  scrape,  he  was  mistaken,  for  Dolhanski  coolly 
bowed  to  the  ladies  from  Gorek  and  replied,  drawling 
each  word  as  usual: 


138  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"With  the  greatest  pleasure,  but  we  must  wait  until  the 
rain  stops." 

"Then,  sir,  you  agree  to  be  our  knight?"  cried  Pani 
"Wlocek,  extending  her  hands  towards  him  and  at  the 
same  time  gazing  at  him  with  a  suddenly  awakened  curi- 
osity and  surprise. 

"With  the  greatest  pleasure,"  repeated  Dolhanski; 
"the  strike  will  be  over  to-morrow." 

His  complete  self-assurance  impressed  everybody,  par- 
ticularly the  ladies  from  Gorek.  At  the  same  time,  the 
cold  tone  in  which  he  spoke  affected  Pani  Wlocek  so 
much  that  for  a  while  she  lost  her  usual  pathetic  volubility 
and  after  an  interval  she  replied: 

"In  the  name  of  an  orphan,  I  thank  you." 

But  the  orphan  apparently  preferred  to  thank  him  her- 
self, for  she  stretched  out  both  hands  towards  Dolhanski 
and  after  a  brief  silence,  which  might  be  explained  by  her 
emotions,  spoke  in  a  voice  resembling  the  rustle  of  leaves : 

"I  am  concerned  about  mamma." 

"So  am  I,"  Dolhanski  assured  her. 

But  the  mother  and  daughter  now  turned  to  each  other : 

"Allow  me,  child;   here  I  am  nothing." 

"Permit  me.  Mamma;  Mamma  is  everything." 

"But  I  beg  pardon,  child — " 

"Pardon  me.  Mamma, — " 

And  the  strife  about  the  burnt  offerings  began  anew. 
It  did  not,  however,  last  long,  as,  firstly,  the  doctor  began 
to  make  so  much  noise  that  they  could  be  heard  with 
difficulty  and  then,  Pani  Krzycki,  whom  the  young  physi- 
cian permitted  to  rise  and  move  to  an  armchair,  sent  a 
message  asking  the  ladies  to  visit  her.  After  their  depart- 
ure the  doctor  went  to  the  office  to  write  out  specifically 
where  and  how  the  cure  should  be  conducted ;  the  notary 
became  occupied  with  his  flute  in  the  vestibule.  Gronski, 
Dolhanski,  and  Ladislaus  for  a  while  remained  alone. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  139 

Then  Dolhanski  addressed  Ladislaus: 

"What  are  these  Gorek  and  Kwasnoborz?" 

"About  fifteen  hundred  acres,  and  there  is  also  Zabi- 
anka." 

"So  I  have  heard.    And  the  soil?" 

"Almost  the  same  as  at  Rzeslewo.  In  Zabianka  it  is 
said  to  be  better." 

"So  I  have  heard.     The  state  of  the  fortune?" 

"Bad  and  good.  Bad,  because  these  ladies  will  not 
invest  in  anything.  Good,  because  they  have  no  debts 
and  every  penny  which  flows  from  the  husbandry,  after 
it  gets  into  the  stockings,  never  beholds  daylight 
again." 

"That  is  what  I  have  been  waiting  for,"  said  Dolhanski. 

"They  are  as  stingy  as  they  are  pathetic,  and  who 
knows  whether  they  are  not  stingier?" 

"Let  them  hoard." 

And  Gronski  began  to  laugh  and  quoted: 

"Sic  vos  non  vobis  nidificatis  aves  —  sic  vos  non  vobis 
mellificates  apes  —  " 

"Yes,"  said  Dolhanski. 

After  which  suddenly  to  Gronski : 

"To-morrow  I  will  propose  for  the  hand  of  Cousin 
Otocka." 

"To-day  you  are  full  of  surprises,"  replied  Gronski. 

"Wait !     And  I  will  be  given  the  mitten." 

"Without  any  doubt." 

"But  I  want  to  have  a  clear  conscience.  After  which 
I  will  drive  over  to  Gorek." 

"That  is  already  known.  And  you  will  quell  the  agi- 
tated waves  of  a  strike." 

"In  the  course  of  a  day.    As  you  see  me  here." 

After  which  he  pointed  at  Ladislaus. 

"That  simplex  servus  Dei  became  unwittingly  an  in- 
strument in  the  hands  of  Providence.     The  Lord  often 


140  WHIRLPOOLS. 

avails  Himself  of  pigmies.     For  this,  when  you  become 
bankrupt  in  Jastrzeb,  apply  to  me  at  Gorek." 

"Provided  that  before  that  time  you  are  not  reduced 
to  the  same  level,"  responded  Ladislaus,  laughing.  "You 
are  an  excellent  leveller." 

"We  live  in  an  age  of  universal  levelling.  But  what  is 
Panna  Wlocek's  Christian  name?" 

"Kajetana." 

"Plait-il?" 

"Kajetana,"  repeated  Krzycki.  "Her  father's  christian 
name  was  Kajetan  and  she  was  named  in  memory  of 
him." 

"Tell  me  then  why  that  well-stocked  Kajetana  pre- 
served herself  in  her  virgin  state  until  the  age  of  thirty  or 
more?" 

"Thirty-five,  to  be  accurate.  That  is  what  my  mother 
said  not  long  ago.  She  remembers  the  day  of  her  birth. 
As  to  why  she  is  unmarried  the  reason  is  plain.  Parties 
were  not  wanting  but  those  ladies  looked  too  high.  In  the 
neighborhood,  we  only  have  the  common  nobility;  and 
among  the  Krzyckis  there  was  not  a  bachelor  of  suitable 
age.  You,  in  this  respect,  would  correspond  to  their 
fantasy  —  " 

"That  is  well!"  answered  Dolhanski,  "only  that 
name !  Kajetana !  Kajetana !  That  seems  to  be  a  kind 
of  carriage  or  boat!    Do  I  know?" 

Gronski  and  Ladislaus  regarded  Dolhanski's  announce- 
ment as  a  joke,  as  one  of  the  sallies  of  wit  which  often 
crossed  his  mind.  He,  however,  kept  his  word,  for  on  the 
following  day  he  proposed  to  Pani  Otocka  with  due  gravity 
and,  after  receiving  an  equally  grave  refusal,  rode  off  to 
Gorek  and  settled  there  for  a  time.  Th?  young  ladies,  and 
even  Pani  Krzycki,  were  greatly  amused  and  interested  in 
all  this,  especially  when  the  news  reached  them  that  the 
agrarian  strike  in  Gorek  ended  the  same  day  on  which 


WHIRLPOOLS.  141 

Dolhanski  appeared.  And  it  also  ended  a  few  days  later 
in  Rzeslewo,  partly  from  the  force  of  circumstances,  from 
the  conviction  innate  in  the  peasant  soul  that  the  "holy 
land"  is  not  to  be  trifled  with,  and  partly  owing  to  the 
news  which  spread  over  the  village  that  somebody  from 
some  kind  of  a  committee  was  to  come  and  decide  the 
whole  matter.  Such  was  the  case  with  the  manor  servants. 
The  peasants  and  husbandmen  did  not  want  to  agree  to 
any  school  and  would  not  relinquish  the  possession  of  the 
manor  lands,  but  awaited  this  somebody  in  equal  fear  and 
hope,  sacredly  believing  that  not  the  will  nor  the  law  but 
some  unknown  power  would  decide  everything.  In  the 
villages,  in  the  meantime,  more  peaceful  days  ensued,  and 
though  the  daily  papers  brought  intelligence  of  increased 
commotion  in  the  cities,  Ladislaus  believed  that  the  local 
storm  had  passed  away.  This  belief  was  shared  by  the 
guests.  As  the  doctor  had  announced  that  Pani  Krzycki's 
departure  depended  upon  the  first  signs  of  alleviation  of 
her  suffering,  Ladislaus  determined  to  take  the  best  ad- 
vantage he  could  of  the  brief  time  the  young  ladies  were 
to  remain  in  Jastrzeb.  The  horseback  excursions  began 
and  unless  prevented  by  rain  took  place  every  morning. 
They  were  particularly  agreeable  to  Ladislaus  because 
Gronski,  riding  leisurely,  kept  company  with  his  "adora- 
tion," while  he  could  pass  hours  alone  with  Miss  Anney. 
Both  were  expert  riders;  they  usually  dashed  ahead  and 
most  frequently  disappeared  from  view  in  the  distance. 
At  times,  they  set  off  at  full  gallop,  and  intoxicated  them- 
selves with  the  mad  speed,  the  air,  the  sun,  and  each  other. 
At  other  times  they  rode  abreast,  slowly,  stirrup  to  stirrup, 
and  then  the  silence  into  which  they  fell,  anxious,  full  of 
inexpressible  delight,  linked  them  with  ties  yet  stronger 
than  those  with  which  their  conversation  bound  them. 
With  a  glance  Krzycki  scanned  the  figure  of  the  golden- 
haired  maiden,  resembling  on  horseback  the  divine  Gre- 


142  WHIRLPOOLS. 

cian  forms  or  those  on  Etruscan  vases,  and  feasted  his 
eyes.  He  listened  to  her  voice  and  it  seemed  to  him  that 
it  was  music  still  nearer  perfection  than  that  which  poured 
forth  from  Marynia's  violin.  At  times  when  he  assisted 
her  to  mount  her  horse,  he  had  to  exert  the  full  strength 
of  his  will  to  refrain  from  pressing  her  foot  to  his  lips  and 
forehead.  And  often  he  thought  that  if  he  ever  dared  to 
do  so,  he  would  desire  to  remain  in  that  position  as  long 
as  possible.  To  this  feminine  being  all  his  thoughts  were 
impelled,  and  through  the  might  and  flight  of  his  feeling, 
his  desires  ceased  to  be  like  crawling  serpents  and  be- 
came like  winged  birds,  capable  of  soaring  unto  heaven. 
His  love  each  day  became  more  like  a  whirlpool  which 
drags  to  itself  and  engulfs  everything.  It  seemed  to  Ladis- 
laus  that  the  air,  the  sun,  the  fields,  the  forests,  the  mead- 
ows, the  scent  of  the  trees  and  flowers,  the  song  of  birds 
and  the  evening  playing  of  Marynia,  —  all  these  were  only 
some  of  the  elements  of  that  love  which  belonged  to  Miss 
Anney  and  entered  into  her  being  and,  without  her,  would 
be  insignificant  and  without  essence.  Moreover,  the 
whirlpool  seized  him  and  plunged  him  more  and  more 
deeply  with  a  power  to  which  each  day  he  offered  less  re- 
sistance, for  the  simple  reason  that  the  abyss  appeared 
to  him  to  be  the  abyss  of  happiness.  Ladislaus  now  did 
not  surrender  her  to  any  Englishman  "with  protruding 
jaw"  or  any  Scot  "with  bare  knees,"  and  would  not  have 
given  her  up  for  the  whole  of  England  and  Scotland.  He 
ceased  trying  to  persuade  himself  that  this  was  a  type  of 
woman,  which  he  might  have  loved  and,  instead,  he  con- 
fessed to  himself  sincerely  that  she  was  a  woman  whom 
he  did  love.  Love  generated  in  him  a  bright  and  deter- 
mined will;  so  now  he  thought,  with  the  strict  logic  of 
feeling,  that  he  craved  to  win  this,  to  him,  most  precious 
and  most  desired  being,  to  take  and  retain  her  for  his  whole 
life.    There  was  only  one  road  leading  to  that:   therefore 


WHIRLPOOLS.  143 

he  determined  to  enter  upon  it  with  that  heedless  willing- 
ness which  a  man,  who  desires  to  be  happy,  evinces. 
Sometimes  also  a  confession  quivered  upon  his  lips.  He 
restrained  it  however  and  deferred  it  from  day  to  day,  at 
first  owing  to  a  timidity  which  every  enamoured  heart 
feels,  and  again  through  calculation.  For  if  Love  is  blind, 
it  certainly  is  not  so  to  whatever  may  bring  it  benefits.  It 
can  even  weigh  benefits  and  obstacles  upon  such  delicate 
scales  that  in  this  regard  it  is  perhaps  the  most  cautious, 
the  most  prescient,  and  the  shrewdest  of  human  feelings. 
In  fact  Ladislaus  observed  that  his  mother  and  Miss  Anney 
were  bound  by  a  sympathy  which,  on  the  part  of  youth, 
health,  and  strength  was  productive  of  a  certain  friendly 
care,  and  on  the  part  of  weakness  and  old  age,  of  gratitude. 
All  three  ladies  were  solicitous  about  his  mother,  but 
neither  the  solicitude  of  Pani  Otocka,  nor  that  of  Marynia, 
was  so  vigilant  or  so  efficacious  as  the  watchfulness  of 
Miss  Anney.  Pani  Krzycki  candidly  said  that  even  Ladis- 
laus could  not  move  from  room  to  room  with  such  dex- 
terity the  armchair  to  which  temporary  disability  had 
riveted  her;  that  he  could  not  anticipate  and  humor 
her  wants  as  could  this  light-haired  "good  English 
diviner." 

To  Krzycki,  it  frequently  occurred  that  certainly  this 
"good  diviner"  did  all  that  through  kindness  and  sincere 
friendship,  but  also  because  she  wanted  to  conciliate  his 
mother.  And  his  heart  trembled  with  joy  at  the  thought 
that  the  moment  would  arrive  when  the  wishes  of  his 
mother  would  coincide  with  that  for  which  he,  himself, 
most  strongly  yearned.  He  feared  that  a  premature 
avowal  might  sever  the  ties  which  were  being  formed  and 
for  that  reason  he  checked  the  word,  which  often  burned 
his  lips  like  a  flame. 

After  all,  there  was  an  avowal  in  their  silence  and 
glances.    Ladislaus  did  not  dare  and,  until  that  time,  did 


144  WHIRLPOOLS. 

not  wish  to  tell  her  plainly  that  he  loved  her ;  he  wanted, 
however,  with  each  word  to  clear  the  path  and  approach 
that  eagerly  desired  moment.  In  the  meantime  it  hap- 
pened that,  either  from  lack  of  breath  he  could  not  speak 
at  all,  or  else  he  said  something  entirely  different  from 
what  he  intended  to  say.  Once  when  they  rode  amidst 
luxuriant  winter  com  and  when  a  light  breeze  bent  towards 
them  the  rye  stalks,  together  with  the  red  poppy  and  the 
gray  fescue-grass,  he  decided  to  tell  her  that  all  Jastrzeb 
bowed  at  her  feet ;  and  he  said,  with  a  great  beating  of  his 
heart,  in  a  hollow  voice  not  his  own,  "that  in  places  the 
grain  is  lying  down."  After  which,  in  his  soul,  he  called 
himself  an  idiot  and  fretted  at  the  supposition  that  a  similar 
opinion  of  him  must  have  crossed  her  mind.  It  seemed  to 
him  that  she,  beyond  comparison,  exercised  a  better  self- 
control  and  that  she  could  always  say  just  what  she  wished 
to  say.  Consequently,  even  at  times  when  partly  through 
coquetry  and  partly  because  of  her  habit  of  repeating  his 
expressions  like  an  echo,  she  answered,  for  instance,  "that 
in  places  the  grain  is  lying  down,"  he  discerned  in  her 
words  an  unheard-of  significance  and  later  pondered  over 
them  for  hours. 

But  he  also  had,  particularly  in  the  morning,  moments 
of  greater  tranquillity  of  mind  and  greater  peace,  in  which 
his  words  were  not  like  a  disarrayed  rank  of  soldiers,  each 
one  marching  in  a  different  direction.  At  times,  the  themes 
for  these  quieter  conversations  were  furnished  by  some 
external  objects,  but  oftener  by  anxiety  occasioned  by 
the  impending  separation.  Krzycki  at  such  times  hid 
behind  his  mother  and  in  her  name  expressed  that  which 
he  did  not  dare  to  say  in  his  own. 

"I  can  imagine,"  he  said  the  day  following  the  second 
visit  of  the  doctor,  "how  Mother  will  long  for  you." 

And  the  maiden,  to  whom  it  evidently  occurred  that 
not  only  the  mother  but  the  son  would  long  for  her,  looked 


WHIRLPOOLS.  145 

at  him  a  little  teasingly,  with  the  hazy  light  of  her  strange 
eyes,  and  replied: 

"I  am  such  a  bird  of  flight  that  your  mother  will  soon 
become  disaccustomed  to  me." 

"Oh,  I  warrant  you  that  she  will  not,"  exclaimed 
Ladislaus. 

After  which,  he  added : 

"I  know  Mother;  she  has  fallen  in  love  with  you 
immensely." 

"Why,  hardly  ten  days  have  elapsed  since  we  arrived. 
Is  it  possible  to  fall  in  love  so  soon?" 

To  this  Ladislaus  replied  with  deep  conviction: 

"It  is  !    I  give  you  my  word,  it  is !" 

There  was  something  so  naive  in  the  manner  and  tone 
of  the  reply  that  Miss  Anney  could  not  refrain  from 
laughing.  But  he  observed  this  and  began  to  speak  rap- 
idly as  if  he  wished  to  explain  and  justify  himself: 

"For  do  we  know  whence  love  comes?  Often  at 
the  first  glance  of  the  eye  upon  a  human  face  we  have 
such  an  impression  as  if  we  found  some  one  whom  we 
were  seeking.  There  are  certain  unalterable  forces  which 
mutually  attract  people,  although  before  that  time  they 
may  have  never  met  and  though  they  had  lived  far  away 
from  each  other." 

"And  must  such  persons  always  meet  each  other?" 

"No,"  he  answered,  "I  think  not  always.  But  then 
perhaps  they  are  continually  yearning,  not  knowing  for 
what,  and  feel  an  eternal  vacuity  in  life." 

And  here,  in  spite  of  his  will,  the  sincere  poetry  of 
youth  and  sentiment  spoke  through  his  lips : 

"You  called  yourself  a  bird  of  flight,"  he  said.  "Be- 
loved also  is  that  bird,  only  not  as  a  bird  which  flies  away 
but  rather  as  a  bird  which  flies  hitherward.  For  it  flies 
unexpectedly  from  somewhere  in  the  distance  —  from 
beyond  the  mountains,  from  beyond  the  sea,  and  nests  in 

10 


146  WHIRLPOOLS. 

the  heart,  and  begins  to  sing  such  a  song  that  one  hearing 
it  would  fain  close  his  eyes  and  never  waken  again." 

And  thus  he  spoke  until  he  grew  pale  from  emotion. 
For  a  time  he  was  agitated,  like  a  whirlwind,  by  the  de- 
sire to  dismount  from  his  horse  and  embrace  the  feet  of 
the  maiden  with  his  arms  and  cry :  "  Thou  art  that  beloved 
one:  therefore  do  not  fly  away,  my  dear  bird!"  But 
simultaneously  he  was  seized  by  a  prodigious  fear  of  that 
night  which  would  encompass  him  if  his  entreaty  should 
prove  futile. 

So  he  merely  uncovered  his  head,  as  if  he  wanted  to 
display  his  heated  forehead.  A  long  silence,  which  fell 
between  them,  was  only  interrupted  by  the  snorting  of  the 
horses,  which  now  proceeded  in  an  ambling  pace,  emitting 
under  the  bridles  a  white  foam. 

After  which  Miss  Anney  spoke  in  a  subdued  voice  which 
sounded  a  little  like  a  warning : 

"I  hear  Pan  Gronski  approaching  with  Marynia." 

In  fact  the  other  couple  soon  approached,  happy  and 
animated.    Marynia,  a  few  paces  away,  exclaimed: 

"Pan  Gronski  was  telling  me  such  beautiful  things 
about  Rome.  I  am  sorry  that  you  did  not  hear 
them." 

"More  about  the  neighborhood  of  Rome,  than  Rome 
itself,"  said  Gronski. 

"Yes.  I  was  in  Tivoli.  I  was  in  Castel  Gandolfo,  in 
Nemi.  Wonders  I  I  will  tease  Zosia  until  in  truth  we  will 
go  there  and  Pan  Gronski  with  us." 

"Will  you  take  me  along?"    asked  Miss  Anney. 

"Of  course!  We  will  all  go  in  the  autumn  or  next 
spring.    Did  you  folks  also  talk  about  a  trip?" 

For  a  time  there  was  no  response. 

"No,"  Miss  Anney  finally  replied.  "We  were  talking 
about  birds  of  flight." 

"Why,  now  it  is  spring  and  birds  do  not  fly  away." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  147 

"Nevertheless,  you  ladies  are  making  preparations  for 
flying  away,"  answered  Ladislaus  with  a  sigh. 

"True,"  rejoined  Marynia;  "but  that  is  because  Aunt 
is  going  away ;  and  she"  —  here  she  pointed  at  Miss  Anney 
with  her  riding  whip  —  "has  urged  us  all  three  to  go  where 
the  doctor  is  sending  Aunt." 

After  which  she  said  to  Ladislaus : 

"You  would  not  believe,  sir,  how  honest  she  is  and  how 
she  loves  Aunt." 

"I,  not  believe?   I?"   cried  Ladislaus  with  ardor. 

But  Miss  Anney,  who  a  short  time  before  had  asked 
him  whether  one  could  fall  in  love  so  soon,  became  greatly 
confused  and,  dropping  the  reins,  began  with  both  hands 
to  set  something  right  on  her  hat,  wishing  to  cover  with 
them  her  countenance  which  glowed  like  the  dawn. 

Ladislaus  had  heaven  in  his  heart,  and  Marynia,  for 
some  time,  gazed  with  her  pellucid  eyes,  now  at  him  and 
then  at  IMiss  Anney,  for  it  was  no  secret  to  her  that  Krzycki 
was  in  love  up  to  his  ears,  and  this  aroused  her  curiosity 
and  amused  her  indescribably. 


148  WHIRLPOOLS. 


XII 

"See  what  I  received  to-day,"  said  Ladislaus,  handing 
Gronski  a  letter  which  came  with  others  in  the  morning 
mail. 

Gronski  glanced  at  it  and  knit  his  brow. 

"Ah!"  he  said,  "a  death  sentence." 

"Yes." 

"With  the  seal  of  the  P.  P.  S.  They  are  distributing 
them  quite  prodigally." 

"Yes,  just  like  the  opposite  party." 

"Both  are  alike.  The  notary  also  has  one  and  the 
doctor  several.    What  do  you  think  of  it?" 

"Je  m'en  fiche !  But  the  situation  amuses  me.  I  do 
not  know  whether  you  have  heard  that  the  Provincial 
guards  have  unearthed  a  secret  school  in  Jastrzeb,  which 
I  founded  a  year  ago  because  my  conscience  commanded 
me  to.  It  is  a  case  which  I  greased  but  have  not  yet 
greased  sufficiently.  As  a  result,  I  now  have  suspended 
over  me  the  fists  of  the  authorities  and  the  fists  of  the  so- 
cialists.   Enjoyable,  is  it  not?" 

"It  has  often  occurred  to  me  that  elsewhere  people 
could  not  live  under  such  conditions,  and  we  not  only  live 
but  laugh  quite  merrily." 

"For  such  is  our  sinewy  Lechite  nature." 

"Perhaps  that  is  so.  You  must,  nevertheless,  be  on  your 
guard  and  it  will  be  necessary  to  send  the  ladies  away." 

"It  will  be  necessary,  it  will  be  necessary,"  repeated 
Ladislaus.  "And  abroad  too,  for  it  is  unsafe  in  Warsaw. 
But  please  do  not  say  anything  about  this  foolish  sentence 
to  Mother  or  any  one  else." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  149 

"Certainly." 

"Mother  positively  insists  upon  my  accompanying  her, 
and  I  do  not  try  to  shun  that  —  oh,  no,  not  in  the  least ! 
But  summer  is  approaching  and  after  that  there  will  be 
the  harvest.  The  overseer  is  an  honest  man  but  before 
my  departure  I  must  give  him  some  specific  instructions 
how  and  what  he  is  to  do.  After  they  all  leave,  I  would 
like  to  stay  yet  for  a  week  or  ten  days.  Mother  will  not 
be  alone  and  without  care,  as  in  the  first  place  the  younger 
members  of  the  family  will  be  with  her,  and  again  you 
heard  Cousin  Marynia  say  that  the  ladies  will  go  wherever 
Mother  would  be.  Through  all  my  life  I  will  ever  be 
grateful  to  Miss  Anney  for  that  proposal;  for  to  Mother 
nothing  could  be  better  or  more  agreeable." 

"And  for  her  son  also,  it  seems  to  me,"  said  Gronski, 
laughing. 

Ladislaus  remained  silent  for  a  time;  after  which  he 
began  to  press  the  palms  of  his  hands  on  his  temples  and 
replied : 

"Yes.  For  why  should  I  deny  that  which  I  confessed 
to  myself  and  which  everybody  sees  but  Mother,  who  has 
not  observed  it  because  she  seldom  saw  us  together.  But 
she  also  has  fallen  in  love  with  Miss  Anney.  Who  would 
not  love  her?  Such  a  dear,  golden  creature.  I  have  not, 
as  yet,  said  anything  to  Mother  because  she  has  her  mind 
set  upon  Pani  Otocka  and  it  will  be  unpleasant  for  her  to 
give  up  the  thought.  I  fear  she  might  be  offended.  After 
all,  I  only  know  what  is  taking  place  within  me,  and  noth- 
ing more.  I  dare  not  even  say  that  I  have  any  reasons  for 
my  illusion.  I  fear  that  it  may  all  at  once  burst  like  a  soap- 
bubble.  Ah !  How  unhappy  I  would  be.  Already  I 
cannot  see  anything  in  this  world  beyond  her.  Candidly 
speaking,  I  do  not  know  what  to  do  with  myself,  Jastrzeb, 
and  life." 

And  grasping  Gronski' s  hand,  he  continued: 


150  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"If  you  would  only  speak  with  Pani  Otocka  and  ascer- 
tain from  her  whether  I  may  have  hope;  for  they  are 
friends  and  certainly  do  not  keep  any  secrets  from  each 
other.  If  you  would  only  do  this  for  me;  and  in  due 
time  speak  with  Mother  I  But  with  Pani  Otocka  as  soon 
as  possible !     Will  you  do  it?" 

"I  have  spoken  with  Pani  Otocka  about  that,"  re- 
plied Gronski,  "but  what,  do  you  suppose,  she  an- 
swered? That  she  could  not  tell  me  anything  as  Miss 
Anney  confided  to  her  a  certain  personal  secret  which  she 
was  not  at  liberty  to  divulge.  I  admit  that  this  surprised 
me.  In  reality,  the  secret  cannot  be  anything  derogatory 
to  Miss  Anney,  as  otherwise  Pani  Otocka  would  not  be 
on  such  cordial  and  intimate  terms  with  her.  They  are 
like  sisters,  and  in  Warsaw  they  lived  together,  almost 
door  to  door.  After  all,  Pani  Otocka,  it  seemed  to  me,  was 
sincerely  in  your  favor  and,  at  times,  I  received  the  im- 
pression that  she  was  concerned  in  having  matters  come 
to  the  pass  which  they  have.  As  for  Marynia,  she  wriggles 
her  little  ears  and  with  that  it  ends.  In  any  case,  be  as- 
sured that  you  have  not  enemies  in  those  ladies  and,  if 
you  want  to  know  my  personal  views,  much  less  in  Miss 
Anney." 

"Would  to  God!  Would  to  God!"  answered  Ladis- 
laus.  "You  have  given  me  a  little  encouragement  and  I 
breathe  more  easily." 

"But  you,  I  see,  have  fallen  unto  your  ears,"  observed 
Gronski. 

"I  give  you  my  word  that  I  prefer  one  of  her  fingers  or 
the  ray  of  her  hair  to  all  the  women  in  the  world.  I  never 
had  a  conception  that  one  could  thus  surrender  himself. 
At  times  I  do  not  know  what  is  happening  to  me  or  what 
will  occur,  for  only  think:  I  have  Jastrzeb,  the  estate, 
the  Rzeslewo  aflfairs,  Mother's  departure,  and  here  I  can- 
not think  of  anything  but  her  —  but  her  —  and  to  nothing 


WHIRLPOOLS.  151 

else  can  I  apply  my  mind.  I  regret  every  moment  in  which 
I  do  not  gaze  upon  her.  To-day,  for  instance,  I  received 
a  summons  from  the  Directory  to  come  in  reference  to  the 
will  and  Rzeslewo,  and  I  postpone  the  matter  until  to- 
morrow. I  cannot  —  plainly  —  I  cannot !  I  would  go 
at  night  were  it  not  that  the  Directory  is  closed  for  the 
night." 

"Remember,  however,  the  death  sentence." 

"May  the  devil  take  them  with  their  sentence,  or  let 
them  finally  shoot  me  in  the  head.  I  would  still  be  think- 
ing of  her,  especially  after  what  you  have  told  me.  But 
how  do  you  knov/  that  Pani  Otocka  is  in  my  favor  ?  Those 
are  honest,  golden  hearts,  both  of  those  cousins!  How 
did  you  say  it?  That  they  are  not  my  enemies?  Thank 
God,  even  for  that!  For,  why  should  they  hate  me?  But 
please  speak  with  Pani  Otocka  again.  I  am  not  concerned 
about  her  betraying  any  secret  but  only  that,  knowing 
Miss  Anney,  she  should  say  something  one  way  or  the 
other  —  you  know  what  I  want  —  certainty  —  even  though 
a  morsel  — " 

"Certainly,"  said  Gronski,  laughing,  "I  will  seek  an 
opportunity  to-day." 

"Thank  you!     Thank  you!" 

In  fact  an  opportunity  was  easily  found,  as  Pani  Otocka 
also  had  some  news  which  she  desired  to  impart  to  Gronski, 
and  with  this  object  she  sent  her  maid  to  him  with  an  in- 
vitation to  meet  her  on  the  yoked  elm  walk,  near  the  pond. 
When  they  met  there  she  gave  him,  just  as  Ladislaus  had 
done  a  while  before,  a  letter  which  arrived  in  the  same 
morning's  mail  and  said : 

"Please  read  it  and  advise  me  what  to  do  with  it." 

It  was  a  letter  from  Laskowicz  to  Marynia  and  its  tenor 
was  as  follows: 

"A  great  idea  is  like  a  gigantic  bird:  her  wings  cast  a 
shadow  over  the  earth,  while  she  hovers  in  the  sun. 


152  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"Whoever  does  not  fly  upwards  with  her  is  surrounded 
by  darkness. 

"And  darkness  is  death. 

"In  that  darkness,  I  behold  Thee,  Uke  an  alabaster 
statuette.    This  night  the  sounds  of  thy  music  reach  me. 

"And  lo,  in  my  lonely  chamber  I  think  of  Thee  and 
grieve  for  Thee. 

"For  Thou  couldst  be  a  beam-feather  in  the  wings  of 
this  gigantic  bird  idea  and  inhale  the  pure  air  of  the  dizzy 
heights  and  play  in  glory  to  the  legions  of  the  living;  and 
Thou  breathest  the  air  of  tombs  and  playest  to  a  life  which 
is  moribund  and  to  souls  that  wither;  and  not  to  people 
but  to  ghosts. 

"I  grieve  for  Thee,  my  silvery  one. 

"And  my  thoughts  fly  to  Thee  like  eagles. 

"For  heretofore  there  was  imbedded  in  my  strength  a 
part  of  human  happiness  but  there  was  not  in  it  my  own 
happiness. 

"Now  Thou  suddenly  glidest  before  my  eyes  like  a 
light,  and  through  my  ears  like  music,  and  hast  filled  my 
bosom  with  a  yearning  for  things  I  had  not  known  before, 
and  hast  filled  me  with  Thine  own  indispensable  quintes- 
sence and  a  consciousness  of  my  happiness. 

"Therefore  I  loved  Thee  the  same  night  when  I  beheld 
Thee  and  heard  Thee  for  the  first  time. 

"Henceforth,  though  Thou  are  not  near  me,  I  am  with 
Thee  and  will  follow  wherever  Thou  wilt  be. 

"For  Thou  art  necessary  to  my  existence  and  I  am  to 
Thee,  in  order  to  resuscitate  Thee. 

"In  order  to  snatch  Thee  from  destruction;  from 
amidst  those  who  are  about  to  die. 

"In  order  to  surrender  Thee  to  the  great  idea,  and  the 
exalted,  and  the  light,  and  the  living  hosts  who  suffer  from 
a  dearth  of  bread  and  music. 

"Thee  and  Thy  music. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  153 

"May  extermination  not  fail  upon  you  both. 
"Oil,  beloved  one. 

"A  certain  night  I  summoned  Thee  but  Thou  didst  not 
hear  me  and  didst  not  come.  Now  I  extend  my  hands 
towards  Thee  and  say  unto  Thee :  Come  and  slumber  in 
my  heart. 

"And  when  the  time  of  awakening  comes,  I  will  wake 
Thee  for  a  brief  moment  of  pleasure,  which  love  gives  for 
the  toil  without  an  end  and  which  the  idea  demands. 

"Fot  toil  and  perchance  for  martyrdom. 

"But  in  that  martyrdom  for  the  dawn  of  a  new  life, 
there  is  greater  happiness  than  in  the  dusk,  mephitic  air, 
ashes  and  mould  of  graves. 

"Therefore  come  even  for  martyrdom. 

"And  until  our  existence  floats  into  the  sea  of  nothing- 
ness, abide  with  me. 

"Oh,  beloved  one." 

Gronski's  countenance  reflected  perturbation.  For  a 
time  he  and  Pani  Otocka  walked  in  silence. 

"What  shall  I  do  with  this,  and  what  does  it  mean?" 
"This  is  a  disagreeable  and  vexatious  matter,  and  the 
letter  means  that  Laskowicz,  who  never  in  his  life  saw  a 
being  like  Marynia,  has  fallen  in  love  with  her  from  the 
first  acquaintance,  as  he  himself  says.  I  observed  that 
after  a  few  days  and  if  I  did  not  say  anything  to  you  about 
it,  it  was  because  Laskowicz  was  soon  to  leave.  But  he 
has  fallen  in  love  with  his  head  and  not  his  heart,  for  other- 
wise, instead  of  high-flown  expressions,  borrowed,  as  it 
were,  from  some  school  of  literature,  he  would  have  found 
simpler  and  more  sincere  words.  His  exaltation  may  be 
sincere,  it  may  waste  and  destroy  him  like  a  fever;  it  may 
last  for  whole  years,  but  its  chief  source  is  the  head  and  not 
the  heart." 


154  WHIRLPOOLS. 

But  Pani  Otocka,  who  at  the  moment  was  not  in  the 
least  interested  in  an  analysis  of  Laskowicz's  feelings, 
interrupted  a  further  disquisition : 

"But  what  are  we  to  do,  in  view  of  this?  How  are  we 
to  act?    It  is  about  Marynia  that  I  am  concerned." 

"You  are  right,"  answered  Gronski.  "Pardon  my 
untimely  reflections,  but  it  is  always  better  to  know  with 
whom  and  with  what  one  has  to  do.  My  opinion  is  that 
it  would  be  best  not  to  do  anything,  just  as  if  this  letter  had 
not  arrived.  You  may  return  it  to  Laskowicz,  but  that 
would  be  exceedingly  contemptuous:  this  letter  deserves, 
perhaps,  to  be  thrown  into  a  fireplace,  but  in  ray  opinion 
it  does  not  merit  contempt.  It  is,  if  you  will  permit  me  to 
thus  express  myself,  nervous  and  insolent,  but  it  preserves 
a  certain  measure  in  its  expressions  and  there  is  nothing 
brutal  in  it.  Besides  it  expresses  rather  the  thoughts 
which  came  to  Laskowicz's  mind  than  any  actual  hopes, 
and  to  that  extent  it  might  be  explained  to  Marynia  that 
this  is  not  a  letter  to  her  but  a  poem  for  her,  not  quite 
felicitously  conceived.  And  Marynia?  What  impression 
did  it  make  upon  her  and  what  does  she  say?" 

"Marynia,"  answered  Pani  Otocka  with  a  certain  comic 
uneasiness,  "is  a.  little  offended,  a  little  worried  and 
frightened,  but  in  the  innermost  recesses  of  her  heart, 
she  is  a  little  proud  that  somebody  should  have  written 
such  a  letter  to  her." 

"Oh,  I  was  certain  of  that,"  exclaimed  Gronski,  laugh- 
ing involuntarily. 

After  a  while  he  began  to  speak  seriously. 

"No  doubt  other  letters  will  come  and  as  these  maybe 
more  glaring,  we  will  have  to  persuade  the  little  one  that 
she  should  not  read  them.  If  you  will  permit,  I  will  under- 
take that,  after  which,  you  ladies  ought  to  go  to  Warsaw, 
and,  in  a  short  time,  journey  abroad  and  the  matter  will 
end  of  itself." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  155 

"To  tell  the  truth,"  responded  Pani  Otocka,  "I  want  to 
leave  Jastrzeb  as  soon  as  possible.  We  are  not  necessary 
for  Aunt  but  are  rather  a  hindrance  in  the  preparations  for 
her  departure,  and  I  confess  that  I  am  possessed  by  fear. 
Please  read  that  letter  again  carefully.  Why,  there  are 
threats  there  against  all  the  residents  of  Jastrzeb  and  even 
against  Marynia  if  she  stays  with  us." 

Gronski  thought  of  Ladislaus  receiving  at  the  same  time 
a  death  sentence,  and  in  the  first  moments  it  occurred  to 
him  that  it  might  have  some  connection  with  Laskowicz's 
letter.  But  after  a  while  he  recollected  that  similar  sen- 
tences were  sent  to  the  doctor  and  even  the  aged  notary : 
therefore  to  pacify  Pani  Otocka,  he  said : 

"These  are  times  of  continual  menaces  and  everybody 
receives  them,  but  I  do  not  think  that  Laskowicz  intended 
to  warn  Marynia  of  any  imminent  attack  threatening  us  in 
Jastrzeb.  He  undoubtedly  wished  to  say  that  the  waves 
of  socialism  will  sweep  away  all  who  do  not  float  with  it, 
and  therefore  us.  But  as  the  peace  of  yourself  and  Marynia 
is  involved,  as  to  leaving,  why  of  course !  Why  should  we 
not  leave  even  to-morrow?" 

"I  already  thought  of  that,  but  Aunt  urged  us  to  wait 
for  her  and  Aninka  promised  her  that." 

"Then  let  her  remain,  and  you  ladies  leave.  Ah,  so 
Miss  Anney  delays  the  departure  ?  Good  news  for  Laudie ! 
May  I  tell  him  that  ?  A  while  ago,  he  begged  me  to  learn 
something  from  you,  —  for  the  poor  fellow  barely  lives. 
He  is  the  most  love-sick  swain  within  the  boundaries  of 
the  Commonwealth." 

"So  it  has  gone  as  far  as  that?" 

"  It  has !  Evidently  there  is  something  inflammatory 
in  the  atmosphere  of  Jastrzeb.  Here  everybody  falls  in 
love,  either  openly  or  in  secret." 

Hearing  this,  Pani  Otocka  unexpectedly  blushed  like  a 
fifteen-year-old  girl,  and  though  this  happened  often  and 


156  WHIRLPOOLS. 

upon  the  most  trivial  provocation,  Gronski  being  unable 
to  surmise  what  had  passed  through  her  mind,  looked  at 
her  with  a  certain  wonder. 

"How  then?"  he  said.  "There  are  Laudie,  Laskowicz, 
and  Dolhanski.  But  Dolhanski  has  the  most  energy,  for, 
after  his  latest  repulse,  he  immediately  decamps  upon  a 
new  expedition,  while  Laudie  fears." 

"  What  ?"  asked  Pani  Otocka,  raising  her  eyes. 

"First,  a  repulse  from  which  he  thinks  he  could  not 
recover,  and,  again,  a  discussion  with  his  mother  which 
awaits  him." 

"Perhaps  something  else  awaits  Cousin  Laudie,  but  he 
need  not  fear  about  Aninka." 

"He  will  die  from  joy  when  I  tell  him  that,  but  in  my 
way,  I,  who  am  known  to  you  as  a  meddler,  could  die  from 
curiosity." 

"What  of  it,  when  I  have  no  right  to  speak  about  it? " 

"Not  even  when  we  leave  Jastrzeb?" 

"Not  even  then.  After  all,  everything  will  soon  clear 
up." 

"In  such  case,  I  have  procured  enough  for  the  nonce, 
and  in  the  meanwhile  I  will  return  to  Laudie  to  tell  him 
the  good  news  and  apprise  him  of  our  departure.  I  will 
not  mention  anything  about  Laskowicz's  letter,  for  to- 
morrow he  will  set  off  for  the  city  and,  if  they  met,  a  nasty 
encounter  might  result." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  157 


XIII 

Ladislaus,  however,  did  not  go  to  the  city  on  the  day 
following  his  conversation  with  Gronski,  for  he  was  noti- 
fied that  the  meeting  of  the  executors  of  Zarnowski's  will 
was  postponed  for  one  week.  The  reason  for  this  was 
that  in  two  days  a  convention  of  the  citizens  of  the  vicinity 
was  to  commence  in  reference  to  providing  insurance  for 
the  superannuated  rural  officials  and  manor-servants,  and 
also  in  regard  to  the  more  burning  question  of  introducing 
the  Polish  language  into  the  communes,  —  a  question  in 
which  the  communal  justices  as  well  as  the  villagers  were 
interested.  Ladislaus  determined,  by  all  means,  to  partici- 
pate in  these  debates,  but  as  they  were  to  take  place  in  the 
forenoons,  he  formulated  a  plan  of  going  to  them  every 
morning  and  returning  home  in  the  afternoon.  In  view 
of  the  proximity  of  Jastrzeb  to  the  city,  this  plan  was 
quite  feasible. 

However,  he  was  disappointed  in  the  hope  that  he  could 
devote  those  two  days  exclusively  to  the  guests,  or  rather 
to  the  most  precious  of  guests  in  Jastrzeb,  as  the  disorders 
in  Rzeslewo  broke  out  with  renewed  virulence  and  they 
required  almost  all  his  time.  The  strike  of  the  manor 
help,  indeed,  ceased  so  completely  that  the  intervention, 
which  Dolhanski  advised,  became  superfluous  and  it  was 
necessary  to  restrain  it.  But  in  the  meantime  individual 
tenants  and  some  of  the  husbandmen  began  to  commit 
depredations  in  the  forest.  Ladislaus,  at  the  head  of  the 
local  and  Jastrzeb  foresters,  sought  these  disorderly  per- 
sons, who,  indeed,  hid  at  the  sight  of  him:  nevertheless 
they  assumed  a  very  threatening  attitude  towards  the 
servants,  promising  to  all  swift  vengeance.    The  foresters 


158  WHIRLPOOLS. 

received  bulky  letters,  assuring  them  "that  they  would 
get  a  bullet  in  the  head,  and  the  heir  also  would."  But 
the  heir,  who  was  not  wanting  in  youthful  energy  and  was 
not  averse  to  adventure,  did  not  at  all  neglect  the  defence 
of  the  Rzeslewo  forests,  and,  what  was  more,  he  personally 
rushed  over  to  Rzeslewo  and  summoning  the  malefactors, 
declared  that  he  would  invoke  courts  and  punishment. 

And  afterwards,  he  repaired  at  the  designated  time  to 
the  conference.  It  was  to  be  the  last  day  of  the  sojourn  in 
Jastrzeb  of  Pani  Octoka,  Marynia,  and  Gronski,  who 
decided  to  leave  on  the  following  day  for  Warsaw.  Miss 
Anney,  at  Pani  Krzycki's  solicitation,  agreed  to  remain 
for  a  few  days,  and  leave  with  her.  Ladislaus  announced 
that  he  would  return  as  soon  as  possible  in  order  to  spend 
the  evening  with  all  of  them  and  to  listen  for  the  last  time 
to  Marynia's  bewitching  violin.  He  also  said  that  he  would 
induce  the  notary  and  the  doctor  to  come  with  him. 

As  a  result,  they  waited  dinner  for  them.  In  the  mean- 
time, about  four  o'clock,  Gronski  sat  in  his  room  writing 
a  letter  to  Dolhanski,  Marj'nia,  upstairs,  played  her  daily 
exercises,  Pani  Otocka  sat  with  the  patient,  and  Miss 
Anney  went  out  on  the  balcony,  ostensibly  to  photograph 
the  old  and  lofty  trees  which  enclosed  the  courtyard  on 
two  sides,  but  in  reality  to  see  whether  he,  whom  they 
expected  at  home,  was  returning.  So  instead  of  photo- 
graphing, she  began  to  lose  her  sight  and  soul  in  the  shady 
depths  of  the  old  linden  roadway.  Hope  that  soon  she 
would  behold  in  that  depth  a  cloud  of  dust,  horses,  and 
carriages,  and  that  afterwards  the  lively  form  of  a  youth 
would  leap  out,  filled  her  with  a  quiet  joy.  Lo,  after  a 
while  she  would  see  before  her  that  countenance,  stately, 
sympathetic,  and  sincere;  those  eyes,  whose  every  glance 
spoke  to  her  a  hundred  times  more  than  the  lips,  and  would 
hear  that  voice  which  penetrated  to  her  heart  and  thrilled 
it  like  music.    At  this  thought,  Miss  Anney  was  encom- 


WHIRLPOOLS.  159 

passed  with  such  sweet,  calm  feeling,  as  if  she  were  a  child 
and  as  if  some  loved  hand  were  lightly  rocking  her  to  sleep ; 
as  if  she  were  resting  in  a  boat,  which  the  gentle  waves 
bore  somewhere  into  a  distance,  unknown,  but  radiant. 
To  permit  herself  to  be  rocked,  to  allow  herself  to  be 
borne,  to  confide  in  the  waves,  to  not  think,  for  the  time 
being,  of  where  the  boat  will  stop,  —  this  was  all  that  the 
heart  of  the  maiden,  at  such  moments,  desired.  But  at 
other  moments,  when  she  propounded  to  herself  the  ques- 
tion, "What  will  happen  further?"  she  looked  with  faith 
into  the  future.  Sometimes  when  sleep  refused  to  close  her 
eyes,  there  flitted  through  her  mind,  like  dark  butterflies, 
uncertainties  and  fears,  but  even  then  she  said  to  herself 
that  the  heaven  may  become  cloudy  in  the  future,  but  at 
present  she  was  enjoying  charming,  fair  weather,  and  every 
day  was  like  a  flower,  and  she  plucked  those  flowers,  one 
after  another  and  laid  them  upon  her  bosom.  So  she  thought 
that  for  this  it  was  worth  while  to  live  and  even  to  die. 

And  at  that  moment,  though  her  soul  was  dissolving  in 
the  sun,  in  the  serene  atmosphere,  in  the  rustle  of  leaves 
and  in  the  great  pastoral  calm,  flooded  with  light,  she  had 
no  desire  to  die,  for  it  seemed  to  her  that,  with  the  air, 
she  inhaled  joyful  appeasement.  Everything  about  her 
began  to  lose  the  mark  of  reality  and  change  into  an  azure 
vision  of  happiness,  half  dreamy,  half  wakeful.  From 
this  revery  she  was  aroused  by  the  sight,  awaiting  which 
she  had  sat  for  almost  an  hour  on  the  balcony.  Lo,  at  the 
uttermost  end  of  the  roadway  her  eagerly  desired  cloud 
of  dust  appeared  and  it  approached  with  unusual  rapidity. 
Miss  Anney  recollected  herself.  In  the  first  moments  she 
wanted  to  retire.  "It  is  necessary,  it  is  necessary,"  she 
said  to  herself,  "otherwise  he  will  be  apt  to  think  that  I 
was  waiting  for  him.  "  And  she  would  have  been  sincerely 
indignant  had  any  one  suggested  to  her  that  such  was  the 
'case.    But  suddenly  her  knees  became  so  weak  that  she 


160  WHIRLPOOLS. 

sat  again,  clutching  the  camera  in  order  that  it  might 
appear  that  when  found  on  the  balcony  she  was  taking 
photographs.  In  the  meantime  the  cloud  drew  nearer  the 
gates  of  entry,  continuing  with  the  same  speed.  Soon  in 
harmony  with  the  picture  which  the  maiden  had  previously 
formed,  the  gray  heads  of  the  fore  horses  emerged  from 
the  dust.  Like  lightning,  an  impression  of  joy  shook  Miss 
Anney.  "How  he  is  flying  and  how  anxious  he  is !"  But 
immediately  afterwards,  as  she  began  to  wonder  at  the 
amazing  speed,  she  thought  that  the  horses  were  frightened. 
They  were  already  so  close  to  the  gates  that  she  could  per- 
ceive the  wind-tossed  manes,  the  distended  bloody  nostrils 
and  the  frantic  motions  of  the  horses'  feet.  Suddenly  she 
rose  and  her  eyes  reflected  horror,  for  she  observed  that 
the  coachman  sat,  bent  so  that  only  the  top  of  his  head 
could  be  seen  —  without  a  cap.  In  the  meantime  the 
intractable  horses  dashed  through  the  gate;  at  the  wind- 
ing, the  coachman  fell  off  and  the  carriage  with  slightly 
diminished  speed  swung  in  a  semi-circle  along  the  border 
of  the  flower-bed.  In  the  carriage,  on  the  rear  seat,  Ladis- 
laus  sat  alone,  with  his  head  tilted  upwards  and  propped 
upon  a  carriage  cushion.  A  cry  of  terror  escaped  from 
Miss  Anney's  breast.  The  horses,  in  the  twinkle  of  an 
eye,  reached  the  balcony  and  being  accustomed  to  stop 
before  it,  implanted  their  hoofs  in  the  ground.  Ladislaus 
moved  and,  pale  as  a  corpse,  with  blood  streaming  over 
his  collar  and  coat  sleeves,  staggered  from  the  carriage; 
when  the  maiden  hurried  towards  him,  he  cried,  grasping 
the  air  with  his  mouth: 

"Nothing!  ...  I  am  wounded,  but  it  is  nothing  I" 

And  he  toppled  to  the  ground  at  her  feet. 

And  she,  in  a  moment  raised  him  with  a  strength,  amaz- 
ing in  a  woman,  and  supporting  him  with  her  arms  and 
breast,  began  to  shriek: 

"Save  him!    Help!    Help!" 


WHIRLPOOLS.  161 


PART  SECOND 
I 

When  Miss  Anney  raised  the  wounded  young  man,  the 
household  servants  were  in  the  other  part  of  the  house. 
Nearest  to  her  —  for  they  were  in  the  vestibule  playing 
billiards  —  were  Pani  Zosia  and  Marynia.  These  ladies 
rushed  upon  the  balcony  and,  seeing  Miss  Anney  support- 
ing the  disabled  youth,  emulating  her  example,  began  to 
shout  at  the  top  of  their  voices.  She,  in  the  meantime, 
placed  him  upon  a  bench  on  the  balcony  and  enclosing  him 
in  her  arms,  called  for  water.  Both  sisters  hurried  to  the 
sideboard  for  it  and  alarmed  the  whole  house.  Gronski 
and  everything  living  collected  there.  In  the  first  moments 
Gronski  lost  his  head  and  when  he  recovered  his  senses 
he  sent  Pani  Otocka  to  Ladislaus'  mother  to  apprise  her 
of  the  occurrence.  In  the  meanwhile  Miss  Anney  ordered 
the  servants  to  carry  the  wounded  man.  She,  herself,  was 
compelled  for  a  while  to  attend  to  her  maid,  who  at  the 
sight  of  Ladislaus,  began  to  scream  and  then  fell  into 
hysterical  convulsions.  Gronski  hastened  to  the  stable  to 
dispatch  horses  for  the  doctor. 

But  before  the  wounded  man  was  borne  to  his  room  his 
mother  came  precipitately.  At  the  news  of  the  misfortune, 
she  forgot  about  her  rheumatism  and  assisted  in  the  removal 
of  her  son,  and  in  undressing  and  laying  him  in  bed. 
Afterwards  she  began  to  wash  out  the  wounds  with  a 
sponge.  Ladislaus,  owing  to  a  copious  flow  of  blood,  fell 
into  a  long  faint,  and,  after  regaining  consciousness  for  a 
brief  interval,  fainted  again:   in  consequence  of  which  he 

11 


162  WHIRLPOOLS. 

could  not  give  any  information  about  the  ocurrence.  He 
only  repeated  several  times,  "In  the  woods,  in  the  woods  I" 
From  which  they  could  infer  that  the  attack  took  place, 
not  upon  the  public  highway  but  on  the  borders  of  Rzeslewo 
or  Jastrzeb. 

In  the  meantime,  the  rattle  of  a  britzka  resounded  before 
the  balcony  and,  a  moment  later,  Gronski  summoned  Miss 
Anney  from  her  room,  where  she  was  hastily  changing  her 
clothes,  which  were  covered  with  blood. 

"I  am  riding  alone,"  he  said.  " The  coachman  is  on  the 
sick  list  and  the  housekeeper  has  taken  charge  of  him. 
None  of  the  grooms  want  to  go.  All  are  scared  and 
positively  refuse.  Only  the  old  lackey  is  willing  to  drive, 
but  I  think  that  he  cannot  drive  any  better  than  I  can." 

"It  is  imperatively  necessary  to  drive  for  the  doctor 
at  once,"  answered  Miss  Anney,  pressing  the  palms  of 
her  hands  to  her  burning  cheeks,  "but  it  is  also  necessary 
to  prepare  for  the  defence  of  the  house.  Please  hurry  to  the 
farmers'  quarters  and  send  for  the  forest  rangers  to  come 
with  their  arms.  Otherwise  those  men  will  be  apt  to 
break  in  here  and  administer  the  finishing  blow  to  him." 

"That  is  true." 

And  she  continued  hurriedly: 

"It  is  necessary  to  send  some  one  for  the  men  in  the 
sawmill  and  arm  them  with  firearms.  The  field  hands  will 
follow  their  example.  In  all  probability  an  assault  will  be 
made  upon  the  manor-house  and  here  are  only  women. 
You  must  assume  charge  of  the  defence.  Please  go  at  once, 
and  do  send  for  the  forest  rangers." 

Gronski  admitted  the  propriety  of  the  advice,  and  pro- 
ceeded immediately  to  the  farmers'  buildings.  It  was 
within  the  range  of  possibility  that  the  assailants,  not 
knowing  the  result  of  their  shooting,  might  wish  to 
ascertain  and  perhaps  finish  their  work.  This  had 
happened  in  several  instances,  and  in  view  of  this,  all, 


WHIRLPOOLS.  163 

and,  more  particularly,  the  women,  were  concerned. 
Gronski  was  not  an  energetic  man,  but  no  coward,  and 
the  thought  of  the  being  most  precious  to  him  in  the  world, 
Marynia,  infused  him  with  energy.  He  immediately  sent 
the  field  hands  for  the  forest  rangers,  as  well  as  to  the 
sawmill,  where  a  dozen  or  more  men  worked,  of  whom  it 
was  known  in  the  manor,  as  well  as  in  the  village,  that 
they  read  "  The  Pole"  and  did  not  fear  any  one.  The  manor 
domestics  very  quickly  recovered  from  their  consternation. 
The  reason  for  this  was  that  the  wounded  coachman, 
though  he  did  not  see  the  assailants  who  had  fired  from 
thickets,  claimed  with  great  positiveness  that  "the  Rzeslewo 
people  attacked  the  young  heir"  on  account  of  disputes 
about  the  forest.  This  removed  from  the  affair  the  awe  of 
mystery ;  and  a  peasant  does  not  fear  danger  but  mystery. 
Besides,  as  there  existed  between  the  men  of  Jastrzeb  and 
the  men  of  Rzeslewo  an  ancient  grudge,  dating  from  the 
time  of  the  wrangle  about  bounding  the  stream,  as  soon  as 
the  news  of  the  attempt  of  the  Rzeslewo  men  spread  over 
the  village,  those  of  Jastrzeb  ceased  not  only  to  fear,  but 
a  desire  for  revenge  was  bred  in  them.  The  manor  ser- 
vants began  to  feel  ashamed  now  that  they  had  refused  to 
drive  for  the  doctor.  Others,  hearing  that  Rzeslewo  wished 
to  make  an  onslaught  on  Jastrzeb  manor,  seized  pitchforks 
and  pulled  out  pickets  from  the  fences.  Gronski,  aware 
of  the  death  sentence  received  by  Ladislaus,  viewed  the 
matter  differently,  but  kept  his  opinion  to  himself,  under- 
standing that  a  peasant,  though  he  often  suddenly  displays 
unusual  terror,  when  once  he  starts  to  pull  out  pickets 
from  fences,  does  not  fear  anybody  whatsoever. 

Therefore  delighted  with  this  turn  of  affairs,  he  took 
with  him  a  stout  groom,  who  undertook  to  convey  him  to 
the  city.  But  here  a  surprise  awaited  him,  for  before  the 
balcony  there  was  not  a  trace  of  the  britzka  and  on  the 
balcony  stood  the  old  lackey  Andrew,  with  dejected  face. 


164  WHIRLPOOLS. 

and  Marynia,  pale,  terror-stricken,  with  tears  in  her  eyes, 
and  who  seeing  him  began  to  cry: 

"How  could  you,  sir,  permit  her  to  ride  alone?  How 
could  you  do  it?" 

"Miss  Anney  drove  alone  to  the  city!"  exclaimed 
Gronski. 

And  his  countenance  reflected  such  amazement  that  it 
was  easy  to  perceive  that  it  had  happened  without  his 
knowledge  or  consent. 

"My  God!"  he  said,  "she  sent  me  to  the  farmhouses 
to  arrange  the  defence,  and  it  never  occurred  to  me  that  in 
the  meantime  she  would  jump  into  the  britzka  and  drive 
away.    It  never  occurred  to  me  for  a  moment." 

But  Marynia  did  not  stop  her  lamentations. 

"They  will  kill  her  in  the  woods;  they  will  kill  her," 
she  repeated,  wringing  her  hands. 

Gronski,  in  order  to  quiet  her,  assured  her  that  he 
would  send  out  succor  at  once,  but  returning  to  the  farm- 
houses, he  began  to  reason  that  if  he,  himself,  set  out  after 
her  on  horseback  he  would  accomplish  nothing  and  would 
leave  the  house  without  a  masculine  head,  and  if  he  should 
send  the  field  laborers,  before  they  reached  the  forest 
Miss  Anney  would  outstrip  them.  It  was  possible  for  them 
to  insure,  fairly  well,  her  safe  return,  but  to  insure  her  safe 
passage  through  the  woods  in  the  direction  of  the  city  it 
was  absolutely  too  late. 

This  was  likewise  acknowledged  by  Dolhanski,  who  not 
knowing  of  anything,  returned  by  chance  a  half  an  hour 
later  from  Gorek  to  Jastrzeb.  Hearing  of  the  occurrence 
and  Miss  Anney's  expedition,  he  could  not  refrain  from 
exclaiming : 

"But  that  is  a  brave  girl.    I  wish  I  was  Krzycki." 

After  which,  going  with  Gronski  to  see  the  injured  man, 
he  added : 

"We  will  have  to  go  out  to  meet  her.  I  will  attend  to 
that." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  165 

Ladislaus  was  already  completely  conscious  and  wanted 
to  rise.  He  did  not  do  so  on  account  of  his  mother's 
entreaties  and  adjurations.  His  two  friends  did  not  tell 
him  who  had  gone  after  the  doctor.  They  only  informed 
him  that  the  doctor  would  arrive  without  delay  and,  after 
a  short  while,  left,  having  something  else  to  attend  to. 
Dolhanski  now  assumed  command  over  the  improvised  gar- 
rison which  was  to  defend  the  manor-house.  Gronski 
did  not  expect  to  find  in  him  such  an  extraordinary  supply 
of  energy,  sangfroid  and  self-confidence.  He  soon  im- 
parted this  feeling  to  the  household  servants  and  the 
foresters;  and  the  organization  of  the  defence  was  not 
difficult.  Two  Jastrzeb  forest  rangers  and  one  from  Rzes- 
lewo,  who  came  later,  had  their  own  firearms,  and  in  the 
manor-house  were  found  Ladislaus'  six  fowling-pieces  and, 
of  these,  two  were  short  rifles.  Dolhanski  distributed  this 
entire  arsenal  among  men  who  knew  how  to  use  the  weap- 
ons. A  few  servants  from  the  village,  who  had  participated 
in  the  Japanese  war,  appeared.  Under  these  circumstances 
there  was  no  fear  of  a  sudden  and  unexpected  attack.  The 
workingmen  from  the  sawmill,  being  of  the  Nationalistic 
persuasion,  were  anxious  "that  something  should  happen," 
so  that  they  could  "show  how  the  teeth  of  uninvited  guests 
are  cleaned." 

Having  arranged  everything  in  this  manner,  Dolhanski 
intrusted  the  defence  of  the  manor-house  and  the  women 
to  Gronski.  Before  that,  however,  he  calmed  them  as  to 
Miss  Anney  with  the  assurance  that  he  returned  from 
Gorek  through  the  selfsame  forest  and  rode  in  safety. 
This  was  the  actual  fact.  But  what  was  stranger,  he  did 
not  meet  the  Englishwoman,  from  which  they  inferred 
that  the  courageous  but  prudent  young  lady  evidently 
drove  on  another  side  road.  However,  as  the  distance  to 
the  city  was  not  great  and  her  return  might  be  expected 
soon,  he  proceeded  to  meet  her,  taking  along  with  him 


166  WHIRLPOOLS. 

two  forest  rangers  armed  from  head  to  foot.  Gronski  again 
was  compelled  to  admire  the  shrewdness  and  ingenuity 
with  which  he  issued  in  the  name  of  the  "Central  Govern- 
ment" a  command  to  the  peasants  of  the  village,  that  they 
should,  in  case  they  heard  shots  in  the  forest,  rush  in  a 
body  to  their  aid.  The  peasants  did  not  know  what  this 
"Central  Government"  was.  Neither  did  Dolhanski.  He 
only  knew  that  the  name  alone  would  create  an  impression, 
and  the  supposition  that  it  was  some  Polish  authority 
would  ensure  it  a  willing  obedience. 

But  these  were  superfluous  precautions,  as  it  appeared 
that  there  was  no  one  in  the  Jastrzeb  and  Rzeslewo  forests 
which  extended  along  the  other  side  of  the  road.  The 
miscreants  who  fired  at  Krzycki  had  decamped  with  due 
haste,  evidently  from  fear  of  pursuit ;  or  else  they  awaited 
the  night,  concealed  in  some  distant  underwood  belong- 
ing to  other  villages.  One  of  the  forest  rangers,  who  had 
previously  fully  questioned  the  coachman  about  the  place 
of  the  ambush,  found,  while  beating  the  adjacent  thickets, 
empty  revolver  cartridge  shells,  in  consequence  of  which 
the  supposition  arose  that  the  attack  was  perpetrated  by 
Rzeslewo  peasants.  Dolhanski  did  not  doubt  that  what 
happened  was  a  sequel  of  the  death  sentence,  of  which  he 
learned  from  Gronski.  But  this  seemed  to  him  "much 
more  interesting."  He  thought  that  to  meet  the  assailants 
and  settle  the  issue  in  a  proper  manner  would  be  a  sort  of 
hazard  not  devoid  of  a  certain  charm.  And,  in  fact,  soon 
a  few  more  empty  shells  were  found,  but  further  search 
was  without  any  results. 

Then  Dolhanski  turned  towards  the  highway  leading 
to  the  city,  and  a  half  an  hour  later  met  Miss  Anney, 
driving  the  britzka  as  fast  as  the  horses  could  run ;  on  the 
rear  seat  was  the  doctor. 

It  was  market-day  in  the  city.  It  happened  therefore 
that  at  that  time  a  dozen  or  more  carts  from  Jastrzeb  and 


WHIRLPOOLS.  167 

Rzeslewo  were  returning  homeward,  and  there  was  con- 
siderable bustle  on  the  road.  In  consequence  of  this,  Miss 
Anney  did  not  become  frightened  at  the  sight  of  three 
armed  men  approaching  her  from  an  opposite  direction, 
and,  after  a  while,  recognizing  Dolhanski,  she  began  to 
slacken  the  speed  of  the  horses. 

"How  is  the  wounded  man?" 

"Conscious.     Good." 

"How  is  it  in  the  house?" 

"Nothing  new." 

"God  be  praised." 

The  britzka  again  rolled  on  and  after  an  interval  was 
hidden  in  a  cloud  of  dust,  and  Dolhanski,  having  naught 
else  to  do,  returned  also  to  Jastrzeb. 

The  forest  rangers  who  were  walking  behind  him  began 
to  converse  with  each  other  and  interchange  their  ideas  of  a 
lady  "who  drives  as  well  as  the  best  coachman."  But  in 
Dolhanski's  eyes  there  lingered  also  the  picture  of  a  young 
and  charming  maiden,  with  reins  in  hand,  glowing  counte- 
nance and  wind-tossed  hair.  How  much  resolution  and  vi- 
vacity there  was  in  all  this  !  Never  before  did  Miss  Anney 
appear  to  him  so  enchanting.  He  knew  from  Gronski  in 
what  manner  she  had  dashed  to  the  city,  and  he  was  sin- 
cerely captivated  by  her.  "That  is  not  one  of  our  trans- 
parent, jelly  maidens  who  quiver  at  the  slightest  cause,"  he 
said  to  himself,  "that  is  life,  that  is  bravery,  that  is  blood." 
He  always  admired  everything  which  was  English,  beginning 
with  the  House  of  Lords  and  ending  with  the  manufactured 
products  of  yellow  leather,  but  at  the  present  time  his 
admiration  waxed  yet  greater.  "If  her  marriage  portion 
is  reckoned  not  in  Polish  gold  pieces  but  in  guineas,"  he 
soliloquized  farther,  "then  Laudie  was  born  with  a  caul." 
As  he  was  an  egotist,  as  well  as  a  man  of  courage,  he, 
after  a  while,  ceased  to  bother  his  head  about  Krzycki  and 
the  danger  which  threatened  all,  and  began  to  ruminate 


168  WHIRLPOOLS. 

over  his  own  situation  in  the  world.  He  recollected  that  at 
one  time  he  could  have  sold  himself  for  a  fat  marriage  set- 
tlement but  with  such  an  appendage  that  he  preferred  to 
renounce  all.  But  if  he  had  only  found  such  an  append- 
age as  Miss  Anney !  And  suddenly  he  was  beset  by  regret 
that,  after  making  her  acquaintance,  he  had  not  been  more 
attentive  to  her  and  had  not  tried  to  arouse  in  her  an  inter- 
est in  himself.  "Who  knows,"  he  thought,  "whether  at 
the  proper  time,  that  was  not  possible."  But,  in  such  case, 
it  was  proper  for  him  to  appear  before  her  as  more  knightly 
and  romantic  and  less  sardonic  and  fond  of  club  life. 
Evidently  that  was  not  her  genre.  Above  all  he  could 
pot  delude  himself  as  to  Pani  Otocka.  Dolhanski,  from  a 
certain  time,  had  suspected  his  cousin  of  a  secret  attach- 
ment for  Gronski,  and  at  the  same  time  could  not  under- 
stand what  there  was  in  Gronski  that  a  woman  could  like. 
At  the  present  time  he  was  harassed  by  certain  doubts 
about  himself,  for  he  felt,  contrary  to  the  good  opinion 
which  he  entertained  of  himself,  that  there  was  something 
lacking  in  him ;  that  in  his  internal  mechanism  some  kind 
of  wheel  was  wanting,  without  which,  the  entire  mechan- 
ism did  not  go  as  it  should.  "For  if,"  he  cogitated  farther, 
"I  can  sustain  myself  upon  the  surface,  only  through  a 
rich  marriage  and  my  genre  pleases  neither  Pani  Otocka, 
nor  Miss  Anney,  nor  women  in  general,  then  I  am  a  two- 
fold ass :  first  because  I  thought  I  could  please  and  again 
because  I  cannot  afford  to  change."  And  he  felt  that  he 
could  not  afford  to  change  because  of  his  indolence  and 
from  a  fear  that  he  would  appear  ridiculous. 

"  In  view  of  this  it  will  perhaps  be  necessary  to  end  with 
Kajetana  with  her  appurtenances." 

In  a  sour  temper  he  returned  to  Jastrzeb  and,  having 
given  orders  to  the  night  watch,  he  went  into  the  house 
where  he  received  better  news.  The  doctor  announced 
that  Ladislaus  had  a  lacerated  left  shoulder,  but  as  the 


WHIRLPOOLS.  169 

shot  was  fired  from  below  and  went  upwards,  the  bullet 
coursed  above  the  lungs.  The  second  shot  grazed  over 
the  ribs,  tearing  a  considerable  portion  of  the  flesh,  while 
the  third  one  carried  off  the  tip  of  the  small  finger.  The 
wounds  were  painful  but  not  dangerous.  The  coachman 
received  a  scalp  wound.  The  most  severely  injured  was  the 
left  forehorse,  who,  however,  owing  to  the  small  calibre 
of  the  bullet  was  able  to  gallop  with  the  other  horses,  but 
died  an  hour  after  the  return. 

All  of  which,  however,  tended  to  prove  that  the  attack 
was  not  the  swift  revenge  of  the  landless  of  Rzeslewo  in 
defence  of  the  forest  rights,  but  a  premeditated  attempt. 
For  this  reason  Gronski  was  of  the  opinion  that  Pani 
Otocka  and  Marynia  ought  to  leave  the  following  day. 
He  wanted  to  escort  them  himself  to  the  railroad  station 
and  then  return.  But  both  declared  that  they  would  re- 
main until  all  were  able  to  leave.  On  this  occasion  Mary- 
nia, for  the  first  time  in  her  life,  quarrelled  with  Gronski 
and  the  matter  actually  ended  in  this,  that  Gronski  had 
to  yield.  After  all,  the  departure  was  not  delayed  for  a 
long  time,  for  the  doctor  promised  that  if  great  caution 
was  observed,  they  could  transfer  the  injured  man  to  War- 
saw in  the  course  of  a  week.  No  one  suggested  an  immedi- 
ate departure  to  Miss  Anney. 

The  rest  of  the  evening  was  passed  in  conference. 
About  ten  o'clock  Dr.  Szremski,  having  performed  all 
that  was  required  of  him,  wanted  to  leave  for  the  city,  but 
out  of  regard  for  Pani  Krzycki  he  remained  for  the  night, 
and  as  he  was  much  fatigued,  he  went  to  Gronski's  room 
and  fell  asleep  at  once.  The  ladies  divided  the  work 
among  themselves  in  this  manner:  the  two  sisters  were 
to  watch  Pani  Krzycki,  who  after  the  temporary  excite- 
ment suffered  severely  from  heart  trouble  and  asthma. 
Miss  Anney  in  conjunction  with  Gronski  undertook  to 
pass  the  night  with  the  wounded  young  man. 


170  WHIRLPOOLS. 


II 


Out  in  the  world  the  first  glow  of  dawn  was  just  visible 
when  Ladislaus  awoke,  after  a  fitful  and  slightly  feverish 
sleep.  He  did  not  feel  badly ;  only  a  thirst  was  consuming 
him ;  he  began  to  seek  with  his  eyes  for  some  one  near 
who  could  give  him  water,  and  espied  Miss  Anney  sitting 
at  the  window.  She  must  have  watched  a  long  time  for  she 
dozed,  with  her  hands  resting  inertly  upon  her  knees,  and 
her  head  was  bowed  so  low  that  Ladislaus  at  first  caught 
only  a  glimpse  of  her  light  hair,  illuminated  by  the  light 
of  the  green  lamp.  She  immediately  started  up  however, 
as  if  she  had  a  premonition  that  the  patient  was  awake, 
and  it  seemed  to  him  that  she  divined  his  thoughts,  for, 
approaching  noiselessly,  she  asked : 

"Do  you  wish  any  water?" 

Krzycki  did  not  answer;  he  only  smiled  and  winked 
his  eyes  in  sign  of  assent;  when  she  handed  the  drink  to 
him,  he  eagerly  drained  the  glass,  and  afterwards  gently 
taking  her  hand  in  his  own,  which  was  uninjured,  he 
pressed  it  to  his  lips  and  held  it  there  a  long  time. 

"My  dearest  .  .  .  my  guardian  angel,"  he  whispered. 

And  again  he  pressed  her  hand  to  his  lips. 

Miss  Anney  did  not  even  withdraw  her  hand ;  only  with 
the  other  one  she  took  the  glass  and  placed  it  upon  the 
small  cupboard  standing  near  the  bed.  She  bent  over  him 
and  said: 

"It  is  necessary  for  you  to  keep  quiet.  —  I  will  be 
with  you  until  you  get  well,  but  now  it  is  essential  that  you 
think  only  of  your  health ;   only  of  your  health." 

Her  voice  sounded  in  tones  of  quiet  and  gentle  persua- 
siveness.   Ladislaus  dropped  her  hand.    For  some  time  he 


WHIRLPOOLS.  171 

moved  his  lips,  but  not  a  word  could  be  heard.  Evidently, 
he  was  weakened  from  emotion,  as  he  grew  pale  and  beads 
of  perspiration  stood  upon  his  forehead. 

Miss  Anney  began  to  wipe  his  face  with  a  handkerchief 
and  continued: 

"Please  be  calm.  If  I  thought  that  I  was  harming  you, 
I  would  not  come  here,  and  I  do  want  to  be  with  you  now. 
Not  a  word  about  anything  until  the  wounds  are  healed; 
not  a  word.    Promise  me  that." 

A  moment  of  silence  ensued. 

"  Let  the  lady  retire  for  a  rest,"  Krzycki  said  in  a  plead- 
ing voice. 

"I  will  go,  I  will  go,  but  I  am  not  at  all  tired.  During 
the  first  half  of  the  night,  Pan  Gronski  sat  up  at  your 
side  and  I  slept.  Really,  I  am  not  tired  and  I  will  sleep 
during  the  day.  But  you,  sir,  try  to  sleep.  All  that  is  neces- 
sary is  for  you  not  to  look  at  me,  and  close  your  eyes. 
Then  sleep  will  come  of  itself.  Good-night,  or  rather 
good-day,  for  the  day  is  breaking  in  the  world." 

In  fact  the  morning's  dawn  reddened  and  gilded  the 
sky,  and  the  sun  was  about  to  rise  at  any  moment.  The 
Hght  of  the  green  lamp  grew  paler  each  moment  and  was 
merging  into  the  brightness  of  the  day.  Ladislaus,  desir- 
ing to  show  how  he  obeyed  every  word  of  his  beloved 
guardian,  closed  his  eyes,  pretending  to  sleep,  but  after 
a  while  footsteps  were  heard  in  the  hallway  and  the  doctor 
entered  accompanied  by  Miss  Anney's  maid,  whose  turn 
it  now  was  to  attend  to  the  patient.  The  doctor  was  so 
terribly  drowsy  that  instead  of  eyes  he  had  two  slits  sur- 
rounded by  swollen  eyelids,  but  he  was  as  jovial  and  noisy 
as  usual.  He  examined  the  bandages,  admitted  that  the 
dressing  was  in  proper  shape,  felt  the  pulse,  and  found 
everything  in  good  order.  Afterwards  he  opened  the 
windows  to  freshen  the  air  which  was  saturated  with 
iodoform. 


172  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"A  splendid  morning,"  said  he.  "Health  flows  from 
the  skies.  Let  the  windows  remain  open  all  day.  As  soon 
as  they  hitch  the  horses,  I  shall  return  to  the  city  for  I 
have  patients  who  cannot  wait.  But  I  will  come  back 
in  the  evening  and  bring  a  nurse  for  our  wounded  friend." 

After  which,  addressing  Miss  Anney,  he  said: 

"Only  do  not  let  it  get  into  your  head  to  drive  for  me, 
alone.  The  injured  man  is  getting  along  nicely  —  a 
slight  fever,  very  slight.  I  will  see  Pani  Krzycki  before 
I  leave.  Do  not  let  her  leave  her  bed  all  day,  and  let  her 
nieces  watch  her.  To  you,  sir,  I  recommend  the  bed.  It 
is  permissible  to  inhale  but  not  to  breathe  one's  last 
breath.  Ha !  I  will  return  about  five  in  the  evening, 
unless  indeed,  I  am  forced  on  the  road  to  swallow  a  few 
pills  from  the  socialist  pharmacy.  That  is  a  stylish 
medicine  and,  it  must  be  confessed,  acts  quickly." 

"How  is  Mother?"   asked  Ladislaus  in  alarm. 

At  this  the  doctor  again  turned  to  Miss  Anney. 

"Order  him  to  lie  quiet  for  he  will  not  mind  me.  Your 
mother  has  more  than  fifteen  years.  Yesterday  she  started 
up  suddenly,  forgetting  her  rheumatism  and  weak  heart 
action,  laid  you  in  bed,  waited  for  my  arrival ;  was  present 
at  the  dressing,  and  after  learning  that  there  was  no  danger 
—  at  once !  bah !  —  it  was  necessary  to  put  her  to  bed. 
That  is  always  the  way  with  our  women.  But  nothing  is 
the  matter  with  your  mother;  the  usual  reaction  after  a 
nervous  strain.  When  she  came  to  herself,  I  ordered  her 
to  remain  in  bed  and  not  to  appear  here  under  the  penalty 
of  death  —  for  you.  With  that,  I  restrained  her.  Other- 
wise she  would  have  stuck  here  all  night.  Now  your 
filigree  cousins  are  watching  her.  They  also  almost  turned 
topsyturvy;  then  I  would  have  had  four  patients  in  one 
house.  That  would  be  a  harvest  —  ha  ?  Luckily  there 
was  to  be  found  in  this  house  one  soul  with  different 
nerves,  who  did  not  swoon  poetically.    Ha!" 


WHIRLPOOLS.  173 

"How  he  is  chattering,"  thought  Ladislaus. 

But  the  doctor  began  to  gaze  with  great  respect  at  Miss 
Anney  and  continued: 

"Rule  Britannia!  It  is  a  pleasure  to  look  at  you,  as  I 
love  God !  What  health,  what  nerves !  She  sat  up  all 
night  until  the  morning,  —  and  nothing !  As  if  she  freshly 
shook  the  dew  off  herself !  I  repeat  once  more,  it  is  a 
pleasure  to  behold  you.  I  am  going  to  the  dining-room  to 
see  if  they  will  not  give  me  some  coffee  before  I  leave,  for 
I  am  hungry." 

But  before  he  left  he  said  to  Miss  Anney  and  her  maid : 

"Let  the  lady  go  with  me  and  drink  something  warm 
before  going  to  sleep,  and  you,  little  miss,  sit  here  beside 
Pan  Krzycki.  It  will  be  necessary  to  take  his  temperature 
and  write  it  down.  In  case  anything  happens  let  Pan 
Gronski  know.  I  will  tell  him  to  look  in  here  occasion- 
ally.    Good-by!" 

Allowing  Miss  Anney,  who  smiled  at  the  wounded  man 
and  repeated  "Good-by,"  to  pass  before  him,  he  fol- 
lowed her.  In  the  dining-room,  they  found  not  only  coffee, 
but  the  two  sisters  with  Gronski  and  Dolhanski.  The 
former  had  sat  up  all  night  with  Pani  Krzycki,  whose  ill- 
ness was  much  more  serious  than  the  doctor  told  the  son. 
At  one  time  it  was  even  so  serious  that  it  was  doubtful 
whether  she  would  revive  from  a  long  faint.  Both  "fili- 
gree" sisters  were  almost  worn  out,  and  Marynia  had 
eyelids  of  actual  lily  color.  Gronski,  by  all  means,  wanted 
the  doctor  to  examine  her  and  prescribe  something  strength- 
ening. 

But  he,  feeling  her  pulse  for  a  while,  said : 

"  I  will  prescribe  for  you,  miss,  as  a  medicine,  a  certain 
maxim  of  Confucius,  which  says,  'If  thou  wouldst  know 
the  truth,  it  is  better  to  sit  than  stand,  better  to  lie  down 
than  sit,  and  rather  than  lie  down,  it  is  better  to  sleep.' " 

"That  is  all  very  well,"  she  answered,  "but  after  all 


174  WHIRLPOOLS. 

that  has  taken  place,  I  do  not  know  whether  I  can 
sleep." 

"Then  let  some  one  sing  to  you  the  lullaby,  *Ah,  ah! 
Two  little  kittens';  but  only  not  your  sister,  as  for  her  I 
prescribe  the  same  —  until  it  is  effective." 

The  rattle  of  the  britzka  interrupted  further  conversa- 
tion. The  doctor  swallowed  the  hot  coffee  and  took  his 
leave.  Dolhanski  followed  him  and  mounted  a  horse, 
held  by  a  stable-boy.  He  announced  that  he  would  ac- 
company the  doctor  through  the  forest. 

"If  that  is  for  my  safety,  then  it  is  absolutely  unneces- 
sary," said  the  doctor. 

"I  ride  on  horseback  daily,"  replied  Dolhanski,  "and 
besides  I  want  to  see  whether  some  May  party  has  not 
again  come  to  the  Jastrzeb  forest." 

"No,"  answered  the  doctor, laughing.  "I  do  not  think 
that  they  will  reappear  so  soon.  They  have  in  these  mat- 
ters a  certain  method.  They  prefer  to  be  the  hunters 
rather  than  the  quarry,  and  understand  that  now  it  might 
come  to  a  man  hunt.  In  about  a  week  or  two,  when  they 
find  out  that  their  attempt  was  unsuccessful,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  be  more  guarded." 

"When  will  Krzycki  be  able  to  leave?" 

"It  all  depends  upon  the  purity  of  his  blood;  and  I 
presume  that  it  is  pure.  After  all,  it  will  not  be  necessary 
to  wait  in  Jastrzeb  for  a  complete  cure.  He  had  a  pretty 
close  call;  that  cannot  be  gainsaid.  For  if  I  had  not 
come  the  same  day,  infection  might  have  set  in.  But  the 
antiseptic  did  its  work.  Ah,  that  Englishwoman  who 
looks  through  a  heavenly  mist.  There  is  a  woman  for 
me.  What?  Would  you  believe  that  at  first  I  was  upset 
with  indignation  at  you  gentlemen  for  permitting  her  to 
drive  under  those  circumstances  ?  Only  later  did  she  tell 
me  the  actual  facts.  If  I  do  not  fall  in  love  with  her,  I  am 
a  marinated  herring  without  milt." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  175 

"I  would  not  advise  it,"  said  Dolhanski,  "as  it  seems 
that  in  that  territory  there  already  has  appeared  a  Wil- 
liam the  Conqueror." 

"Do  you  think  so?  It  may  be  possible !  That  also  has 
occurred  to  my  mind." 

"Was  it  because  the  English  prudery  has  disappeared 
in  a  corner?" 

"No.  Nursing  a  wounded  man  is  a  woman's  duty  and, 
in  view  of  that,  prudery  must  retire  to  a  corner.  Even 
yesterday's  expedition  demonstrated  only  courage  and 
energy.  But  through  that  heavenly  mist  there  reach  our 
wounded  friend  such  warm  rays  that  —  oh !  But  that 
does  not  prevent  me  from  being  in  love.  If  old  Dzwon- 
kowski  fell  in  love  with  your  little  cousin  why  should  not 
I  indulge  in  the  same  pleasure." 

"In  the  same  way  you  might  fall  in  love  with  Saint 
Cecilia,"  said  Dolhanski.  "My  cousin  is  not  a  woman  on 
two  feet,  but  a  symbol." 

And  he  stopped  abruptly  for  he  heard  some  voices 
coming  from  the  depth  of  the  forest  and  he  sped  his  horse 
towards  them. 

"Nevertheless  this  clubman  does  not  carry  his  soul  on 
his  shoulder,"  thought  the  doctor. 

But  it  was  only  a  false  alarm,  as  it  was  merely  village 
boys  tending  cattle.  The  doctor,  who  alighted  from  the 
britzka  to  rush  to  Dolhanski's  assistance  in  case  of  need, 
soon  saw  them  among  the  forest  thickets.  After  a  while 
Dolhanski  reappeared  and  pressing  on  his  eye  the  monocle 
which  some  twigs  had  displaced,  said: 

"That  is  only  an  innocent  rural  picture;  cowherds  and 
cows  trespassing  in  other  people's  forests;  nothing  more." 

After  which  he  bade  the  doctor  adieu  and  returned  to 
the  house. 

Miss  Anney  had  not  yet  retired  to  sleep,  for  he  found 
her  conversing  with  Gronski  and  engaged  in  winding  iodo- 


176  WHIRLPOOLS. 

form  gauze.  At  the  sight  of  him,  she  raised  her  eyes  from 
her  work  and  asked : 

"Anything  new  in  the  forest?" 

"Yes,  indeed;  something  has  happened  to  the  doctor. 
He  has  been  shot." 

At  this,  both  suddenly  rose,  startled: 

"What ?     Where ?     In  the  forest ? " 

"Nol     In  Jastrzeb,"  answered  Dolhanski. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  177 


III 

Ladislaus  complied  in  every  particular  with  Miss  Anney's 
injunctions  for,  immediately  after  she  left,  he  dozed 
again  and  did  not  waken  until  the  rays  of  the  sun,  which 
had  ascended  high  in  the  heaven,  fell  on  his  head.  He 
then  knit  his  brows  and,  having  partly  shaken  off  his 
drowsiness,  requested  that  the  roller-blinds  be  lowered. 
The  black-haired  maid  approached  the  window,  wishing 
to  lower  them,  but  as  she  did  this  too  eagerly  and  did  not 
retain  her  hold  on  the  string,  the  roller-blind  dropped  so 
suddenly  that  it  loosened  completely  from  the  fastenings 
and  tumbled  down  on  the  window  sill.  Then  the  maid, 
ashamed  of  her  awkwardness,  leaped  upon  the  chair  and 
from  the  chair  to  the  sill  and  began  to  place  anew  the  rol- 
lers in  the  rings.  Krzycki  looked  at  her  bent  form ;  at  her 
upraised  arms  and  at  her  black  coiled  hair,  with  a  not 
yet  conscious  gaze,  blinking  his  eyes  as  if  he  could  not  re- 
call for  the  time  being  who  that  was;  and  not  until  she 
jumped  from  the  frame,  displaying  at  the  same  time 
graceful  and  plump  limbs  in  black  stockings,  did  he  know 
who  was  before  him ;  and  he  said : 

"Ah!     It  is  Panna  Pauly." 

"It  is  I,"  answered  the  girl.  "I  beg  your  pardon  for 
making  so  much  noise." 

She  blushed  like  a  rose  under  his  glance,  and  he  recol- 
lected how  he  once  saw  her  attired  only  in  azure  watery 
pearls ;  so  he  gazed  at  her  with  greater  curiosity  and  said : 

"That  does  not  matter.  I  thank  you,  little  Miss,  for 
your  solicitude." 

12 


178  WHIRLPOOLS. 

At  the  same  time,  as  a  sign  of  gratitude,  he  moved  the 
hand  lying  on  the  bed-quilt  but  feeling  simultaneously  a 
piercing  pain,  he  made  a  wry  face  and  hissed. 

And  she  sat  on  the  edge  of  the  bed,  leaned  over  him, 
and  asked  with  intense  anxiety: 

"Does  it  pain?" 

"It  does." 

"Can  I  hand  you  anything?    Shall  I  call  any  one?" 

"No,  no." 

For  a  certain  time,  silence  followed.  Ladislaus  frowned 
and  clinched  his  teeth ;  after  which,  drawing  a  deep  breath, 
he  said,  as  if  with  a  certain  rage : 

"This  was  done  for  me  by  those  scoundrels." 

"  Oh,  if  they  only  fell  into  my  hands,"  she  replied  through 
her  set  teeth. 

Such  a  fathomless  hatred  glistened  in  her  eyes  and  her 
entire  countenance  assumed  such  an  expression  of  cruelty, 
that  it  might  serve  as  a  model  for  a  Gorgon  face.  La- 
dislaus was  so  astonished  at  this  sight  that  he  forgot  about 
his  pain. 

Again  silence  ensued.  The  maid  recollected  herself 
after  a  while,  but  her  cheeks  grew  so  pale  that  the  dark 
down  above  her  lips  became  more  marked: 

She  then  asked:   "What  can  I  do  to  relieve  you?" 

Her  voice  now  rang  with  such  cordial  solicitude  that 
Ladislaus  smiled  and  answered : 

"Nothing,  unless  it  be  to  commiserate  with  me." 

And  in  a  moment  she  was  transported  with  spasmodic 
grief;  she  flung  her  face  at  his  feet,  and,  embracing  them 
with  her  arms,  began  to  kiss  them  through  the  quilt.  Her 
raven-like  head  and  bent  body  shook  from  sobbing. 

"Why  little  lady !   PannaPaulyl"   cried  Ladislaus. 

And  he  was  compelled  to  repeat  this  several  times  be- 
fore she  heard  him.  Finally  she  rose  and,  covering  her 
eyes  with  her  hands,  went  to  the  window,  pressed  her 


WHIRLPOOLS.  179 

face  against  the  pane,  and  for  some  time  remained  motion- 
less. Afterwards  she  began  to  wipe  her  eyes  and  readjust 
her  hair,  as  if  in  fear  that  somebody,  entering  unexpect- 
edly, might  surmise  what  had  taken  place. 

In  the  meantime,  all  the  moments  in  which  he  had 
come  in  contact  with  her  coursed  through  Ladislaus' 
mind,  commencing  with  meeting  her  on  the  dark  path, 
when  she  told  him  that  a  were-wolf  did  not  look  like  that, 
and  the  vision  in  the  bath-room,  until  his  conversation 
with  her,  after  that  vision,  on  the  yoked  elm  grove  near  the 
pond.  He  recalled  how  from  that  time  she  alternately 
reddened  and  grew  pale  at  the  sight  of  him;  how  she 
drooped  her  eyes  and  how  she  sent  them  after  him  when- 
ever it  seemed  to  her  that  he  was  not  observing.  From 
one  view,  Ladislaus  accepted  this  as  the  sequel  of  the  in- 
cident in  the  bath-room;  from  another  as  admiration  for 
his  shapeliness.  This  admiration,  indeed,  flattered  his 
masculine  vanity,  but  he  did  not  give  it  much  thought,  as, 
having  his  mind  absorbed  with  Miss  Anney,  her  servant 
did  not  concern  him.  Now,  however,  he  understood  that 
this  was  something  more  than  the  blandishments  of  an 
artful  chambermaid  after  a  handsome  young  heir,  and  that 
this  maiden  had  become  distractedly  infatuated  with  him 
and  in  a  kind  of  morbid  manner.  His  love  for  Miss  Anney 
was  too  deep  and  true  for  him  to  be  pleased  with  such  a 
state  of  affairs  or  for  him  to  think  that  after  his  wounds 
were  healed  he  could  take  advantage  of  the  maiden's 
feelings  in  the  fashion  of  a  gallant.  On  the  contrary,  the 
thought  that  he  had  unwittingly  aroused  such  feelings  ap- 
peared disagreeable  and  irksome  to  him.  He  was  seized 
by  a  fear  of  what  might  result  from  it.  There  came  to  him, 
as  if  in  a  vision,  troubles,  scenes,  and  entanglements, 
which  such  a  passion  might  produce.  He  understood  that 
this  was  a  fire  with  which  he  could  not  thoughtlessly  play ; 
that  he  would  have  to  be  careful  and  not  give  her  any  en- 


180  WHIRLPOOLS. 

couragement.  He  decided  also,  notwithstanding  the  pity 
and  sympathy  he  felt  in  the  depth  of  his  heart  for  the 
maiden,  to  avoid  in  the  future  all  conversations,  all  jests, 
and  everything  which  might  draw  her  nearer  to  him,  en- 
courage intimacy,  or  provoke  in  the  future  outbursts 
similar  to  the  one  of  that  day.  It  even  occurred  to  him  to 
request  Miss  Anney  not  to  send  her  to  him  any  more,  but 
he  abandoned  that  resolution,  observing  that  it  might 
cause  sorrow  or  cast  upon  him  a  shadow  of  ludicrousness. 
Finally  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  above  all  it  was  in- 
cumbent upon  him  not  to  ask  the  maid  about  anything; 
not  to  demand  any  explanation  as  to  the  meaning  of  that 
outbreak  and  those  tears,  and  to  behave  coolly  and  dis- 
tantly. 

In  the  meantune  the  maiden,  at  the  window,  having 
regained  her  composure,  again  approached  the  bed  and 
spoke  in  a  meek  and  hesitating  voice : 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir.    Be  not  angry  at  me,  sir." 
He  closed  his  eyes  and  only  after  an  interval  replied : 
"Little  lady,  I  am  not  angry,  but  I  need  peace." 
"  I  beg  pardon,"  she  repeated  yet  more  meekly. 
However  she  observed  that  he  spoke  in  a  different  tone, 
drier  and  colder  than  previously,  and  intense  uncertainty 
was  depicted  upon  her  countenance,  for  she  did  not  know 
whether  this  was  the  momentary  dissatisfaction  of  the 
patient,  who,  in  reality,  did  desire  quiet  or  whether  it  was 
the  displeasure  of   the   young  heir  at   her  —  a   servant 
maid  —  having  dared   to   betray  her  feelings.     Fearing, 
however,  to  again  offend  him,  she  became  silent  and  seat- 
ing herself  upon  the  chair  which  Miss  Anney  had  occupied, 
she  took  from  the  commode  the  work  which  previously 
had  been  brought  and  began  to  sew,  glancing  from  time  to 
time  with  great  uneasiness,  and  as  if  in  fear,  at  Ladislaus. 
He  also  cast  stealthy  glances  at  her,  and  seeing  her  regu- 
lar features,  as  if  carved  out  of  stone,  her  sharply  out- 


WHIRLPOOLS.  181 

lined  brows,  the  dark  down  above  her  lips,  and  the  ener- 
getic, almost  inflexible,  expression  of  her  face,  he  thought 
that  it  would  be  much  easier  for  a  man  who  could  arouse 
the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  such  a  girl  to  form  various 
ties  than  later  to  be  able  to  free  himself  from  them. 


182  WHIRLPOOLS. 


IV 

Contrary  to  expectations,  the  doctor  did  not  arrive  that 
day,  owing  to  an  unusual  number  of  engagements  and  a 
few  important  operations  which  he  was  compelled  to  per- 
form without  delay.  Instead,  he  sent  a  young  hospital 
attendant,  skilled  in  dressing  wounds,  with  a  letter  in 
which  he  requested  Gronski  to  inform  the  ladies  that  they 
should  consider  his  postponed  visit  as  proof  that  no  danger 
actually  threatened  the  wounded  man.  Ladislaus,  how- 
ever was  not  pleased  with  this  news,  for  the  wounds  tor- 
mented him  acutely;  particularly  the  flesh  torn  by  the 
bullet  along  the  ribs  afflicted  him  painfully;  and  besides, 
his  mother  felt  worse.  The  asthmatic  spell  recurred, 
after  which  a  general  weakness  followed,  so  that  not- 
withstanding her  warmest  wishes  she  was  not  able  to 
rise  from  her  bed.  Pani  Otocka  did  not  leave  her  for  the 
entire  day,  and  at  night  her  place  was  to  be  taken  by  Miss 
Anney,  who,  however,  needing  rest  after  the  recent  events 
and,  passing  a  sleepless  night,  was  sent  to  sleep  by  both 
sisters  and  Gronski.  The  role  of  the  housekeeper  of 
Jastrzeb  was  assumed  by  Marynia,  for  she  wanted  by  all 
means  to  be  useful,  and  was  not  permitted  to  attend  to  the 
patients.  Instead,  she  was  intrusted  with  all  the  keys; 
the  management  of  the  house;  with  conferring  and  tak- 
ing an  accounting  with  the  cook  whom  she  feared  a  little 
and  did  not  like,  because  he  looked  upon  her  as  if  she  was 
a  child  who  was  amusing  herself  rather  than  one  upon 
whose  shoulders  rested  the  responsibility  of  superintending 
everything.  She  adopted  a  mien  full  of  importance,  but 
nevertheless  "the  dear  gentleman,"  that  is  Gonski,  had 


WHIRLPOOLS.  183 

to  promise  that  he  would  be  present,  as  if  by  chance,  in 
the  room  when  the  accounting  was  taking  place. 

As,  after  the  arrival  of  the  doctor  on  the  third  day,  it 
appeared  that  Ladislaus'  condition  was  quite  favorable 
and  Pani  Krzycki's.  asthmatic  spells  were  leaving  her  and 
her  nerves  were  getting  in  order,  the  general  aspect  of 
Jastrzeb  became  calmer  and  happier.  Dolhanski  began 
to  fill  with  a  certain  humor  the  r6le  of  a  generalissimo  of 
all  the  armed  forces  of  Jastrzeb  while  Gronski  played  the 
part  of  military  governor.  The  doctor  brought  with  him 
a  second  nurse,  who  thenceforth  was  to  alternate  with 
the  one  who  came  previously.  This  relieved  the  ladies  of 
the  house  of  the  necessity  of  continual  watchfulness  and 
unnecessary  fatigue.  Ladislaus  alone  was  dissatisfied 
with  the  arrangement,  for  he  understood  that  now  Miss 
Anney  would  not  pass  days  and  nights  in  his  chamber, 
and  that  in  all  probability  he  would  not  see  her  until  he 
was  able  to  leave  his  bed.  In  fact,  it  happened  that  way. 
Several  times  during  the  day  she  would  come  to  the  ante- 
room, send  through  the  attendants  whatever  was  needed, 
inquire  about  his  health  and  also  send  a  "good-night"  or 
"good-day"  but  would  not  enter  the  room.  Ladislaus 
sighed,  swore  quietly,  and  made  life  miserable  for  his  at- 
tendants, and  when  he  learned  from  Dolhanski  of  the  en- 
thusiasm with  which  the  doctor  spoke  of  Miss  Anney 
he  began  to  suspect  him  of  purposely  sending  the  attend- 
ants in  order  to  make  it  more  difficult  for  him  to  see  her. 
His  mother  rose  the  fourth  day  and,  feeling  much  better, 
visited  him  daily  and  sat  up  with  him  for  hours.  Ladis- 
laus often  asked  himself  the  question  whether  she  sur- 
mised his  feelings.  They  were  indeed  known  to  all  the 
guests  in  the  house,  but  there  was  a  possibility  that  she 
did  not  suspect  anything,  as  for  a  considerable  time  be- 
fore the  occurrence  in  the  forest  she  did  not,  in  truth, 
leave  her  room ;  in  consequence  of  which  she  seldom  saw 


184  WHIRLPOOLS. 

her  son  and  Miss  Anney  together.     Krzycki  often  de- 
liberated over  the  question  whether  he  should  speak  with 
his  mother  at  once  about  it  or  defer  the  matter  to  a  later 
date.     In  favor  of  the  first  thought,  there  was  the  con- 
sideration that  his  mother,  while  he  lay  in  bed  wounded, 
would  not  dare  to  interpose  any  strenuous  objections  from 
fear  that  his  condition  might  grow  worse.     But  on  the 
other  hand,  such  calculation,  in  which  his  beloved  one 
and  the  whole  happiness  of  his  life  were  involved,  appeared 
to  him  that  day  as  miserable  craftiness.    He  thought  be- 
sides that  to  extort  an  assent  from  his  mother  through  his 
sickness  would  be  something  derogatory  to  Miss  Anney, 
before  whom  the  doors  of  the  Jastrzeb  manor-house  and 
the  arms  of  the  entire  family  should  be  widely  and  joy- 
fully opened.     But  he  was  restrained  by  another  consid- 
eration.    And  this  was  that,  notwithstanding  the  conver- 
sation he  at  one  time  had  with  Gronski,  notwithstanding 
the  words  he  exchanged  with  the  lady,  notwithstanding 
her  solicitude,  her  sacrifices,  and  the  courage  with  which 
she  did  not  hesitate  to  drive  for  the  doctor,  and  finally 
notwithstanding  the  visible  marks  of  feeling  which  could 
be  discerned   in  every  glance  she  bestowed  upon  him, 
Ladislaus  doubted  and  did  not  dare  to  believe  in  his  own 
good  fortune.     He  was  young,  inexperienced,  in  love  not 
only  up  to  his  ears  but  like  a  student;    therefore  full  of 
alternating  uncertainties,  hopes,  joys,   and  doubts.     He 
doubted  also  himself.     At  times  he  felt  at  his  shoulders 
wings,  as  it  were,  and  in  his  soul  a  desire  for  lofty  flights ; 
a  latent  ability  to  perform  acts  clearly  heroic ;  and  at  other 
times  he  thought:   "Who  am  I,  that  such  a  flower  should 
fall  upon  my  bosom  ?    There  are  people  who  are  endowed 
with  talent ;  who  possess  education ;  and  others  who  have 
millions,  and  I,  what?     I  am  a  mere  nobleman  farmer, 
who  will  all  his  life  dig  the  soil,  like  a  mole.    Have  I  then 
the  right  to  pinion  to  such  a  life,  or  rather  to  confine  in  a 


WHIRLPOOLS.  185 

sort  of  cage  such  a  paradisiacal  bird,  which  soars  freely 
across  the  firmament  for  the  delectation  and  admiration  of 
mankind?"  And  he  was  seized  by  despair.  But  when  he 
pictured  to  himself  that  the  moment  might  arrive  when 
this  paradisiacal  bird  might  fly  away  forever  from  him, 
then  he  looked  upon  it  with  amazement  as  if  upon  a 
calamity  which  he  did  not  deserve.  He  also  had  his  hours 
of  hope,  especially  in  the  morning  when  he  felt  better  and 
stronger.  Then  he  recalled  everything  that  had  taken 
place  between  them,  from  her  first  arrival  at  Jastrzeb  and 
his  meeting  her  at  Zamowski's  funeral  until  that  last 
night  when  he  pressed  her  hand  to  his  lips  and  gained 
greater  confidence.  Why,  at  that  time,  she  told  him  "not 
a  word  about  anything  until  the  wounds  are  healed." 
Therefore  through  that  alone  she  gave  to  him  the  right  to 
repeat  to  her  that  she  was  dearer  to  him  than  the  whole 
world  and  to  surrender  into  her  hands  his  fate,  his  future, 
and  his  entire  life.  Let  her  do  with  them  what  she  will. 
In  the  meanwhile  his  mother  will  accustom  herself  to 
her,  will  grow  more  intimate,  and  become  more  attached 
to  her.  And  her  maternal  heart  is  so  full  of  admiration 
and  gratitude  for  what  Miss  Anney  had  done  for  him 
that  from  her  lips  fell  the  words  "God  sent  her  here." 
Ladislaus  smiled  at  the  thought  that  his  mother,  however, 
ascribed  the  sacrifices  and  courage  of  the  young  maiden 
not  to  any  ardent  feeling  but  to  an  exceptionally  honest 
heart,  as  well  as  to  English  training,  which  was  condu- 
cive to  energy  alike  in  men  and  women.  And  she  had 
likewise  repeated  to  Pani  Otocka  several  times  that  she 
would  like  to  bring  up  her  Anusia  to  be  such  a  brave 
woman ;  give  her  such  strength,  health,  and  such  love  for 
her  "fellow-men."  Pani  Otocka  smiled  also,  hearing 
these  praises,  and  Ladislaus  thought  that  Miss  Anney 
perhaps  would  not  have  done  the  same  for  her  fellow-men, 
and  this  thought  filled  him  with  happiness. 


186  WHIRLPOOLS. 

Eventually  he  became  quite  certain  that  his  mother 
would  consent  to  his  marriage  with  Miss  Anney,  but  he 
was  anxious  as  to  how  she  would  agree.  And  in  this  re- 
gard he  was  much  distressed.  His  mother,  judged  by 
former  requirements  and  conceptions,  was  a  person  of 
more  than  medium  education.  She  possessed  high  social 
refinement,  read  a  number  of  books,  and  was  proficient 
in  the  French  and  Italian  languages.  During  her  younger 
days  she  passed  considerable  time  abroad,  but  only  her 
closest  friends  could  tell  how  many  national  and  hereditary 
prejudices  were  concealed  in  her  and  to  what  extent  all 
that  was  not  Polish,  particularly  if  it  did  not  of  necessity 
come  from  France,  appeared  to  her  peculiar,  outlandish, 
strange,  and  even  shocking.  This  appeared  accidentally 
once  before  the  attack  upon  Ladislaus  when  she  saw  Miss 
Anney's  English  prayer-book  and,  opening  it,  noticed  a 
prayer  beginning  with  "Oh  Lord."  Belonging  to  a  gen- 
eration which  did  not  study  English,  and  having  lived  in 
retirement  for  many  years  in  Jastrzeb,  Pani  Krzycki 
could  not  imagine  the  Lord  other  than  a  being  with  yellow 
whiskers,  dressed  in  checkered  clothes,  and  to  Marynia's 
great  amusement  could  not  by  any  means  understand  how 
the  Divinity  could  be  thus  addressed.  In  vain  Ladislaus 
explained  to  her  that  in  the  French  and  Polish  languages 
analogical  titles  are  given  to  God.  She  regarded  that  as 
something  different,  and  exacted  a  promise  from  Miss 
Anney  that  she  would  pray  from  a  Polish  book,  which  she 
promised  to  buy  for  her. 

Finally  the  fact  that  Miss  Anney  was  not  in  all  probabil- 
ity a  member  of  the  nobility  would  play  an  important 
part.  Ladislaus  feared  that  his  mother,  having  consented 
to  the  marriage,  might  in  the  depths  and  secrecy  of  her 
soul,  deem  it  a  mesalliance.  This  thought  irritated  and 
depressed  him  immeasurably  and  was  one  of  the  reasons 
why  he  postponed  his  consultation  with  his  mother  until 
their  arrival  in  Warsaw. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  187 

He  was  angered  yet  more  at  his  enforced  confinement 
in  his  bed ;  so  that  for  three  days  he  declared  each  evening 
that  he  would  rise  the  following  morning,  and  when  on 
the  fourth  day  Miss  Anney  and  Marynia  said  to  him 
through  the  doorway,  "Good-day,"  he  actually  did  get  up, 
but  in  his  weakened  condition,  he  suffered  from  dizziness 
and  was  forced  to  lie  down  again.  He  was  steadily  im- 
proving, however;  he  continued  to  sigh  more  and  more 
and  felt  his  inactivity  most  keenly. 

"I  have  got  enough  of  this  loquacious  doctor,"  he  said 
to  Gronski,  "enough  of  dressings  and  iodoform.  I  envy 
not  only  you,  sir,  but  even  Dolhanski,  who  is  roaming 
about  on  my  horses  all  over  creation,  and  very  likely 
reaches  as  far  as  Gorek." 

"He  does,"  answered  Gronski  gayly,  "and  this  leads 
me  to  think  that  he  makes  a  mystery  of  it,  for  he  has  ceased 
to  talk  about  those  ladies." 

This  was  but  a  half  truth  for  Dolhanski  did  actually  go 
to  Gorek  but  did  not  remain  entirely  silent  about  the 
ladies,  for  returning  the  next  day,  he  entered  Ladislaus' 
room,  bearing  with  him  still  the  odor  of  the  horse,  and  said : 

"Imagine  to  yourself  that  the  Wlocek  ladies  received  a 
command  from  some  kind  of  committee  from  under  a 
dark  star  to  pay  under  the  penalty  of  death  one  thousand 
roubles  for  'party'  purposes." 

"There  you  have  it!"  cried  Gronski.  "Now  that  is 
becoming  an  every-day  occurrence.  Who  knows  whether 
similar  commands  are  not  awaiting  us  upon  our  desks  in 
Warsaw  ?  " 

"Well,  what  of  it?"    asked  Ladislaus. 

"Nothing,"  answered  Dolhanski;  "those  ladies  first 
argued  as  to  who  was  to  first  expose  her  breast  to  shield 
the  other;  then  fainted;  after  that  they  came  to,  then 
began  to  bid  each  other  farewell,  and  finally  asked  me  my 
advice  as  to  what  was  to  be  done." 


188  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"And  what  advice  did  you  give  them?" 

"I  advised  them  to  tell  the  executors  of  the  command, 
who  would  come  for  the  money,  that  their  plenipotentiary 
and  treasurer,  Pan  Dolhanski,  resided  at  such  and  such 
address  in  Warsaw." 

"Really,  did  you  advise  them  to  do  that?" 

"I  give  you  my  word." 

"In  such  a  case,  they  will  undoubtedly  call  upon  you." 

"You  can  imagine  what  rich  booty  they  will  get !  I 
also  will  have  some  recreation  in  these  tedious  times." 

"Pardon  me,"  said  Gronski,  "the  times  are  trying; 
that  is  certain,  but  no  one  can  say  that  they  are  tedious." 

"But  for  whom?"  answered  Dolhanski.  "If  I  ever 
borrow  money  from  you,  then  I  will  have  to  conform  to 
your  inclination,  but  before  that  time  you  cannot  draw  me 
into  any  political  discussion.  In  the  meantime  I  will  oniy 
tell  you  this  much,  that  I  am  the  only  social  microbe  that 
can  remain  at  perfect  peace.  All  that  I  require  is  that 
'bridge'  should  be  going  normally  at  the  club  and  soon 
this  will  be  impossible.  These  times  may  be  interesting  to 
you  but  not  for  me." 

"At  any  rate,"  observed  Gronski,  "a  certain  ventila- 
tion of  torpid  conditions  is  taking  place,  and  since  you 
compared  yourself  to  a  microbe,  by  the  same  token,  you 
admit  that  these  are  times  for  disinfection." 

At  this  Dolhanski  turned  to  Ladislaus. 

"Thank  Gronski,"  he  said,  "for  the  disinfection  started 
with  you;  from  which  the  plain  inference  is  to  be  drawn 
that  you  are  a  more  harmful  microbe  than  I  am." 

"Get  married,  get  married,"  answered  Ladislaus  ban- 
teringly;  "for  you,  a  good  marriage  settlement  would  be 
the  best  cure  for  pessimism." 

"That  may  be  possible,  as  in  that  case,  I  may  have 
something  with  which  I  can  leave  this  dear  country  and 
settle  elsewhere.    I  once  told  you  that  Providence  speaks 


WHIRLPOOLS.  189 

through  the  lips  of  little  innocents.  But  I  should  have 
thought  of  marriage  when  in  the  perspective  there  were 
no  Goreks,  but  instead,  four  million  franks." 

"Did  you  have  such  an  opportunity?" 

"As  you  see  me  here.  It  happened  in  Ostend;  an  old 
Belgian  relict  of  a  manufacturer  of  preserves,  and  having 
cash  to  the  amount  specified,  wanted  to  marry  me  and 
that  for  the  waiting." 

"And  what?" 

"And  nothing.  I  remember  what  Pan  Birkowski,  who 
at  that  time  was  in  Ostend,  told  me.  *  Do  business,'  he  said. 
'At  the  worst,  you  may  leave  the  old  woman  two  millions 
and  leave  her  in  the  lurch,  and  you  can  take  two  millions 
with  you  and  enjoy  yourself  like  a  king.'  " 

"And  what  did  you  say  to  that?" 

"  And  I  said  this  to  that :  What  is  that  ?  Am  I  to  give 
from  my  own  hard-earned  money  two  millions  to  an  ugly 
old  woman  ?  For  nothing !  And  now  I  think  that  for  a 
mere  quibble,  I  permitted  a  fortune  to  slip  away  from  me 
and  that  the  time  may  come  when  owing  to  a  '  retirement 
from  business'  I  will  have  to  sacrifice  myself  for  a  smaller 
price." 

Gronski  and  Ladislaus  began  to  laugh,  but  Dolhanski, 
who  spoke  with  greater  bitterness  than  they  supposed, 
shrugged  his  shoulders  and  said : 

"Amuse  yourselves,  amuse  yourselves.  One  of  you 
already  has  received  a  taste  of  the  times  and  the  other, 
God  grant,  will  not  escape  so  easily.  Nice  times,  indeed ! 
Chaos,  anarchy,  political  orgy,  lack  of  any  kind  of  authority, 
the  dance  of  dynamite  with  the  knout,  and  the  downfall 
of  'bridge.'    And  you  laugh  1" 


190  WHIRLPOOLS. 


Nevertheless  that  which  Dolhanski  said  about  a  want 
of  any  kind  of  authority  appeared  to  be  not  exactly  the 
truth,  for,  after  an  interval  of  one  week,  the  authorities 
did  give  signs  of  life. 

An  imposing  armed  force,  together  with  gendarmes  and 
police,  made  its  appearance. 

Of  course  the  perpetrators  of  the  attempt  upon  Krzycki 
did  not  wait  a  whole  week  for  the  arrival  at  Jastrzeb  of  a 
military  relief,  as  they  evidently  had  engagements  in  other 
parts  of  the  county.  As  a  result  the  Jastrzeb,  as  well  as  the 
Rzeslewo,  forests  appeared  to  be  deserted. 

In  lieu  of  this,  about  a  score  of  men  in  Jastrzeb,  itself, 
were  placed  under  arrest.  Among  these  were  the  two 
forest  rangers,  the  old  coachman  who  was  wounded  at  the 
time  of  the  attack,  and  all  the  workingmen  at  the  saw- 
mill. 

In  the  manor-house  all  the  passports  were  verified  with 
exceeding  care,  reports  were  written,  and  the  host,  hostess, 
and  guests,  not  excluding  the  ladies,  were  subjected  to  a 
strict  examination. 

From  these  examinations  it  developed  that  in  reality 
they  did  not  come  on  account  of  the  attempt  upon  the 
proprietor  of  Jastrzeb,  but  for  the  purpose  of  apprehend- 
ing a  dangerous  revolutionist,  a  certain  Laskowicz,  who, 
according  to  the  most  reliable  information  secured  by  the 
police,  was  hiding  in  Jastrzeb  and  was  shielded  by  its 
denizens. 

The  declaration  of  the  Krzyckis  to  the  police,  that  in 
due  season  the  passport  of  Laskowicz  was  forwarded,  and 


WHIRLPOOLS.  191 

if  Laskowicz  had  left  the  city  he  must  have  received  it,  as 
well  as  the  assurances  of  all  present  that  Laskowicz  was 
not  in  Jastrzeb  did  not  find  any  credence. 

The  authorities  were  too  experienced  and  shrewd  to 
believe  such  nonsense  and  they  detected  in  them  "an  evil 
design,  and  want  of  sincerity  and  cordial  candor." 

The  house  also  was  subjected  to  a  most  painstaking 
search,  beginning  in  the  garret  and  ending  in  the  cellar. 
They  knocked  on  the  walls  to  ascertain  whether  there  were 
any  secret  hiding  places.  They  searched  among  the  dresses 
and  linen  of  the  women ;  in  the  hearth,  under  the  divans, 
in  the  drawers,  in  the  boxes  for  phenicine  pastilles,  which 
Gronski  brought  with  him ;  and  finally  in  the  manor  out- 
buildings, in  the  mangers  of  the  stable,  in  the  milk  churn- 
ers,  in  the  tar-boxes,  and  even  in  the  beehives,  whose 
inmates,  undoubtedly  being  permeated  with  the  evil- 
disposition  prevalent  in  Jastrzeb,  resisted  the  search  in  a 
manner  as  evil  disposed  as  it  was  painful. 

But  as  the  search,  notwithstanding  its  thoroughness  and 
the  intelligence  with  which  it  was  conducted,  was  not 
productive  of  any  results,  they  took  a  hundred  and  some 
tens  of  books,  the  farm  register,  the  entire  private  corre- 
spondence of  the  hosts  as  well  as  the  guests,  the  bone 
counters  used  in  playing  cards,  a  little  bell  with  a  Napole- 
onic figure,  a  safety  razor,  a  barometer,  and,  notwithstand- 
ing the  license  which  Krzycki  possessed,  all  the  fowling 
pieces,  not  excepting  a  toy-gun  with  which  corks  were 
shot  and  which  belonged  to  little  Stas. 

Ladislaus  himself  would  have  been  undoubtedly  ar- 
rested as  an  accomplice,  if  the  doctor,  who  treated  the 
captain  for  his  heart  trouble,  had  not  arrived  and  if  Dol- 
hanski,  growing  impatient  beyond  all  endurance,  had  not 
shown  the  captain  a  message  before  sending  it  to  the  city. 
It  was  addressed  to  the  highly  influential  general  W., 
with  whom  Dolhanski  played  whist  at  the  club,  and  it 


192  WHIRLPOOLS. 

complained  of  the  brutality  and  the  arbitrariness  of  the 
search. 

This  to  a  considerable  extent  cooled  oflf  the  ardor  of  the 
captain  and  his  subordinates,  who  previously,  at  the  scru- 
tiny of  the  passports,  had  learned  that  Dolhanski  was  a 
member  of  the  club. 

In  this  manner  Ladislaus  preserved  his  liberty,  supple- 
mented by  police  surveillance,  and  little  Stas  regained  his 
toy-gun  for  shooting  corks.  The  captain  could  not  return 
the  arms  as  he  had  peremptory  orders  in  black  and  white 
to  confiscate  even  the  ancient  fowling-pieces  of  the  whole 
community. 

"Doux  pays!  Doux  pays!"  cried  Dolhanski  after  the 
departure  of  the  police.  "Revolvers  now  can  be  found 
only  in  the  hands  of  the  bandits.  In  view  of  this  I  will 
submit  to  a  demission  as  the  commander-in-chief  of  the 
Jastrzeb  armed  forces,  land  as  well  as  naval.  We  are  now 
dependent  upon  the  kindness  or  unkindness  of  fate." 

"Go  to  Warsaw,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  to-morrow," 
said  the  doctor;  "here  there  is  no  joking." 

"Let  us  go  to  Warsaw,"  repeated  Dolhanski,  "and,  not 
losing  any  time,  enroll  in  the  ranks  of  the  believers  in 
expropriation.  I  regard  social  revolutionists  as  the  only 
insurance  association  in  this  country  which  does  really 
insure." 

"From  accidents,"  added  Krzycki;  "and  we  shall  in- 
sure with  my  personal  friend  and  'accomplice'  Laskowicz." 

To  this  Dolhanski  replied : 

"That  accomplice  gave  you  a  payment  on  account.  In 
the  future  you  will  receive  yet  more." 

To  Gronski's  mind  came  thoughts  of  the  personal  enmity 
of  the  young  medical  student  to  Krzycki  and  the  letter  of 
Laskowicz  to  Marynia,  of  which  he  among  the  men  in 
Jastrzeb  alone  knew. 

It  was  quite  probable  that  Laskowicz  saw  in  Ladis- 


WHIRLPOOLS.  193 

laus  a  rival  and  future  aspirant  for  the  hand  of  Panna 
Marynia  who,  besides,  had  nipped  in  the  bud  his  work  in 
Rzeslewo  and  that  he  might  have  thought  that  he  actually 
could  gratify  his  hatred  from  personal  consideration,  and 
in  the  name  of  the  "cause." 

Laskowicz,  himself,  in  his  own  way,  might  have  been  an 
honest  man,  but  the  party  ethics  were,  in  relation  to  the 
antiquated  morality,  revolutionary,  and  sanctioned  such 
things. 

But  at  present  there  was  not  much  time  to  ponder  over 
that ;  so  after  a  while  Gronski  waved  his  hand  and  said : 

"Whether  or  not  the  hand  of  Laskowicz  is  imbrued  in 
this  the  future  will  show.  Now  we  must  think  of  some- 
thing else.  I  assert  positively  that  I  will  take  away  my 
ladies  from  here,  but  I  wish  that  the  entire  Jastrzeb 
family  would  follow  my  example." 

After  which,  he  addressed  the  doctor. 

"Would  it  be  safe  for  Ladislaus  to  travel  to-morrow?" 

"He?    Even  as  far  as  England,"  answered  the  doctor. 

Gronski  and  Dolhanski  laughed  at  these  words  but 
Ladislaus  blushed  like  a  student  and  said : 

"It  will  be  necessary  to  inform  the  ladies." 

"And  to-morrow  the  general  exodus  will  take  place," 
added  Gronski. 

And  he  went  to  the  ladies,  who  received  the  news  of  the 
decision  with  evident  relief.  Both  sisters  decided  to  have 
Pani  Krzycki  at  their  residence  in  Warsaw,  but  she,  desir- 
ing to  be  with  her  son,  would  not  accept  the  invitation; 
and  only  consented  when  Gronski  announced  that  he 
would  take  Ladislaus  to  his  home  and  guaranteed  that  he 
should  not  suffer  for  want  of  care  and  comfort.  Miss 
Anney,  whose  apartments  were  directly  opposite  to  those 
of  Pani  Otocka  also  offered  her  rooms  for  the  use  of  the 
younger  members  of  the  Krzycki  family  and  their  female 
teachers.    In  the  meanwhile  the  doctor  permitted  Ladislaus 

13 


194  WHIRLPOOLS. 

to  get  up,  so  that  he  would  not  have  to  start  on  his  journey 
directly  from  his  bed.  In  the  evening  the  entire  company 
assembled  on  the  garden  veranda.  There  was  missing 
only  Dolhanski  who  rode  off  to  Gorek,  for  he  had  decided 
to  advise  Pani  Wlocek  and  Panna  Kajetana  to  remove 
to  the  city  likewise.  Ladislaus,  after  a  considerable  loss 
of  blood  and  a  somewhat  lengthy  confinement  in  bed, 
looked  pale  and  miserable,  but  his  countenance  had  ac- 
quired a  more  subtile  expression  and  actually  become 
handsome.  At  the  present  time  the  ladies  were  occupied 
with  him,  as  an  invalid,  with  extraordinary  watchfulness. 
He  was  a  person  who  attracted  general  sympathy;  there- 
fore, though  from  time  to  time  his  eyes  grew  dim,  he 
assured  his  mother  that  it  was  well  with  him,  and  he  really 
was  delighted  to  breathe  the  fresh  evening  air.  At  times 
he  was  overcome  by  a  light  drowsiness.  Then  he  closed 
his  eyelids  and  the  conversation  hushed,  but  when  he 
opened  them  again  he  saw  directed  towards  himself  the 
eyes  of  his  mother  and,  illuminated  by  the  setting  sun, 
the  young  faces  of  the  ladies,  which  appeared  to  him 
simply  angelic.  He  was  surrounded  by  love  and  friend- 
ship; therefore  it  was  well  with  him.  His  heart  surged 
with  feelings  of  gratitude,  and  at  the  same  time  with  regret 
that  those  good  Jastrzeb  days  would  soon  end.  In  his 
soul  he  cherished  a  hope  that  he  would  not  be  absent  from 
Jastrzeb  long,  and  promised  himself  a  speedy  return,  and 
he  promised  this  with  all  the  strength  with  which  a  person 
craves  happiness.  Nevertheless,  the  times  were  so  strange, 
so  uncertain,  and  so  many  things  might  happen  which  it 
was  impossible  to  foresee,  that  involuntarily  a  fear  gener- 
ated in  his  heart  as  to  what  turn  the  current  of  events 
would  take;  what  the  future  of  the  country  would  be, 
and  what,  in  a  year  or  two,  would  become  of  Jastrzeb, 
which,  indeed,  became  precious  to  him  for  it  opened  before 
him  the  portals,  beyond  which  he  beheld  the  great  bright- 


WHIRLPOOLS.  195 

ness  of  happiness.  Love,  as  well  as  a  bird,  needs  a  nest. 
So  Ladislaus  plainly  could  not  conceive  of  himself  and  the 
light-haired  lady  being  anywhere  else  than  at  Jastrzeb. 
For  this,  his  heart  beat  with  redoubled  force,  when  glanc- 
ing at  her,  he  indulged  in  fancies  and  imagined  that  per- 
haps after  a  year,  or  sooner,  she  will  sit  upon  the  same 
veranda,  as  the  lady  of  the  house  and  as  his  wife.  Then 
he  turned  towards  her  and  asked  her  with  his  soul  and 
eyes:  "Dost  thou  guess  and  perceive  my  thoughts?" 
But  she,  perhaps  because  she  was  restrained  by  the  pres- 
ence of  so  many  witnesses,  did  not  reply  to  his  glances; 
sitting  as  if  immersed  in  thought  and  letting  her  gaze 
follow  the  swallows,  which  flitted  so  nimbly  above  the 
trees  of  the  garden  and  the  pond.  Ladislaus,  when  he 
now  looked  at  her  was  impressed,  as  if  with  certain  ad- 
miration, at  the  contrast  between  her  full-grown  form, 
powerful  arms,  and  well  developed  bosom  and  her  small, 
girlish  face.  But  he  saw  in  all  this  only  a  new  charm  and 
spell  under  whose  powers  there  flew  at  times  through  his 
love  a  burning  desire  similar  indeed  to  pain  and  stifling 
the  breath  in  his  breast. 

In  the  meantime  the  sun  sank  measurably  and  began 
to  bathe  in  the  ruddy  evening  twilight.  From  the  freshly 
mown  lawns  came  a  strong  fragrance  of  the  little  hay 
heaps,  which  were  warmed  by  the  daily  summer  heat. 
Somehow  the  air  with  the  abroach  of  night  became  more 
bracing,  for,  from  th*  alder-trees  bordering  on  the  pond, 
came  from  time  to  time  a  cool  breath,  so  weak  and  light, 
however,  that  the  leaves  on  the  trees  did  not  stir.  The 
swallows  described  curves  higher  and  higher  above  the 
reddened  surface  of  the  pond.  In  the  lofty  poplars  with 
trimmed  tops  a  stork  clattered  in  his  nest,  now  stooping 
with  his  head  backward  and  then  lowering  it  as  if  bow- 
ing to  the  setting  sun  or  officiating  at  the  evening 
vespers. 


196  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"I  will  play  something  as  a  farewell  to  Jastrzeb,"  Mary- 
nia  suddenly  announced. 

"Ah,  beloved  creature !"  said  Gronski;  "shall  I  go  for 
the  stand  and  notes?" 

"No.     I  will  play  something  from  memory." 

And  saying  this,  she  handed  to  Miss  Anney  an  album 
with  views  of  Jastrzeb,  and  hurried  upstairs.  In  a  short 
time  she  returned  with  her  violin.  For  a  time  she  kept  it 
propped  on  her  shoulder  and  raising  her  eyes  upwards, 
considered  what  she  should  play.  She  selected  Schu- 
mann's "Ich  grolle  nicht."  The  overflowing  tones  filled 
the  quiet  of  the  garden.  They  began  to  sing,  muse,  long, 
and  weep;  oscillate,  hush,  and  slumber,  and  with  them 
the  human  soul  acted  in  unison.  Sorrow  became  more 
melancholy,  yearning  more  longing,  and  love  more  tender 
and  deeply  enamoured.  And  "the  little  divinity"  con- 
tinued playing  —  white  in  her  muslin  dress  —  calm,  with 
pensive  eyes  lost  somewhere  in  the  illimitable  distance, 
immaculate,  and  as  if  borne  to  heaven  by  music  and  her 
own  playing.  To  Gronski  it  seemed  that  he  had  before 
him  some  kind  of  mystic  lily,  and  he  began  in  his  soul  to 
say  to  her,  as  it  were,  a  litany,  in  which  every  word  was  a 
worship  of  the  little  violinist,  because  she  was  playing  and 
she  awoke  in  him  a  love  as  destitute  of  the  slightest  earthly 
dross  as  if  she  were  not  a  maiden  composed  of  blood  and 
flesh,  but  in  reality  some  kind  of  mystic  lily. 

Marynia  had  ceased  to  play  and  her  hand,  with  the  vio- 
lin, hung  at  her  side.  No  one  thanked  her;  no  one  ut- 
tered a  word,  for  the  strains  of  that  music  lingered  with 
all  and,  echo-like,  it  was  yet  playing  within  them.  Pani 
Otocka  unwittingly  drew  nearer  to  Gronski  as  if  they  were 
attracted  towards  each  other  by  their  mutual  worship  of 
this  beloved  child.  In  Pani  Krzycki's  eyes  glittered  tears, 
which  under  the  spell  of  the  music  were  contributed  and 
provoked  by  memories  of  former  years  and  the  present 


WHIRLPOOLS.  197 

suffering  of  her  son  and  fresh  worries  about  him,  and  the 
uncertainty  of  the  future.  Miss  Anney  sat  in  reverie, 
holding  unknowingly  between  her  knees  the  album,  which 
during  Marynia's  playing  had  dropped  from  her  hands; 
and  through  the  open  doors,  in  the  already  dimmed  depths 
of  the  salon,  could  be  seen  the  indistinct  form  of  a  woman, 
who  evidently  also  was  listening  to  the  music. 

A  somewhat  stronger  breeze  which  blew  from  the  alder- 
trees  awoke  all,  as  if  from  a  half-dream.  Then  Pani 
Krzycki  turned  towards  her  son: 

"A  chill  is  coming  from  the  pond.  Perhaps  you  may 
wish  to  return  to  your  room." 

"No,"  he  answered,  "I  feel  better  than  I  have  felt  for  a 
long  time." 

And  he  began  to  assure  her  that  he  did  not  feel  any 
chill  and  afterwards  appealed  to  the  doctor,  who,  lulled 
to  sleep  by  the  music,  could  not  at  once  understand  what 
was  the  matter. 

"Can  Laudie  remain?"  asked  Pani  Krzycki. 

"He  can,  he  can;  only  as  soon  as  the  sun  disappears,  it 
will  be  necessary  to  cover  him  better." 

Afterwards  the  doctor  looked  at  his  watch  and  added : 

"It  is  time  for  me  to  go,  but  I  have  had  so  few  evenings 
like  this  that  it  is  a  hardship  to  leave.  As  God  sees,  it  is  a 
hardship." 

And  here  he  began  to  rub  his  fatigued  brow  with  the 
palm  of  his  hand.  Pani  Krzycki  and  Ladislaus  declared 
that  they  would  not  permit  him  to  leave  before  supper. 
The  doctor  again  looked  at  his  watch,  but  before  he  could 
make  any  reply  there  appeared  upon  the  veranda  the  same 
feminine  figure  that  had  been  listening  to  the  music  in  the 
depths  of  the  parlor,  but  this  time  with  two  plaids  upon 
her  arm. 

"Is  that  you,  Pauly?"  said  Miss  Anney.  "Ah,  how 
sensible  you  are." 


198  WHIRLPOOLS. 

And  Panna  Pauly  began  to  cover  Ladislaus  with  the 
plaids.  She  placed  one  over  his  shoulders  and  the  other 
around  his  limbs.  In  doing  this  she  knelt  and  bent  in 
such  a  way  that  for  a  moment  her  breast  rested  on 
Krzycki's  knee. 

"Thank  you,  little  Miss,  thank  you,"  he  said,  some- 
what confused. 

She  glanced  quickly  into  his  eyes  and  then  left  without 
a  word. 

"But  I  have  taken  your  plaids,"  Ladislaus  said  ad- 
dressing Miss  Anney. 

"That  does  not  matter.  I  am  dressed  warmly.  Only, 
you,  sir,  will  have  to  take  care  that  the  wounded  shoulder 
is  well  covered." 

And  approaching  him,  she  began  to  push  lightly  and 
carefully  a  corner  of  the  plaid  between  the  back  of  the 
chair  and  his  shoulder. 

"I  am  not  hurting  you?"  she  asked. 

"No,  no.     How  can  I  thank  you?" 

And  he  looked  at  her  with  such  enamoured  eyes  that 
for  the  first  time  it  occurred  to  his  mother  that  there  might 
be  something  more  than  gratitude  in  this. 

She  glanced  once  or  twice  at  Pani  Zosia's  delicate 
countenance,  and  sighed,  and  her  heart  was  oppressed 
with  fear,  disquiet,  and  regret.  This  was  her  ideal  for 
her  son;  this  was  her  secret  fancy.  She,  indeed,  had 
fallen  in  love  with  her  whole  soul  with  the  young  English- 
woman, and  if  foreign  blood  did  not  course  in  her  veins, 
she  would  not  have  had  any  objections,  but  nevertheless 
this  first  fleeting  suspicion  that  the  structure,  which  she, 
in  her  soul,  had  erected  from  the  moment  she  became 
intimate  with  Zosia,  might  crumble,  was  to  her  immeasur- 
ably disagreeable.  For  a  time  she  felt,  as  it  were,  a  dis- 
like for  Miss  Anney.  She  determined  also  from  that 
moment  to  observe  them  both  more  carefully,  and  to 
speak  with  Gronski, 


WHIRLPOOLS.  199 

But  in  the  further  course  of  the  evening  her  hopes  re- 
vived, for  when  the  company  returned  to  the  salon  it 
seemed  to  her  after  a  time  that  what  she  had  seen  on  the 
veranda  was  an  illusion.  In  fact  that  day  did  not  end  for 
Ladislaus  and  Miss  Anney  as  serenely  as  the  setting  sun 
had  augured.  A  cooler  wind  blew  between  them,  and  Pani 
Krzycki  could  not  know  that  the  reason  for  it,  on  the  part 
of  her  boy,  was  jealousy.  Miss  Anney,  after  the  return  to 
the  parlor,  began,  on  the  side,  a  conversation  with  the 
doctor  which  continued  so  long  that  Ladislaus  became 
irritated.  He  observed  that  she  spoke  not  only  with  anima- 
tion, but  also  with  a  desire  to  please.  He  saw  the  bright- 
ened visage  of  the  doctor,  from  which  it  was  easy  to  read 
that  the  conversation  afforded  him  sincere  pleasure,  and 
a  serpent  stung  Ladislaus'  heart.  He  could  not  overhear 
what  Miss  Anney  was  saying.  It  seemed  to  him  only 
that  she  was  urging  something.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
doctor  could  not  speak  so  quietly,  but  to  Krzycki's  eaves- 
dropping ears  from  time  to  time  came  such  fragmentary 
expressions  as  "I  intended  to  do  that,  only  after  a  week"; 
"Ha!"  "Some  may  object";  "If  that  is  the  case,  very 
well " ;  "  It  is  well  known  how  England  conquers  " ;  "  Good, 
good." 

Ladislaus  decided  with  all  possible  coolness  to  ask  Miss 
Anney  whom  England  had  now  subjugated  and  whether 
the  newspapers  had  made  any  mention  of  it,  but  when 
Miss  Anney  and  the  doctor  at  the  conclusion  of  their  tSte- 
a-tete  had  rejoined  the  rest  of  the  company,  he  changed  his 
plan  and,  with  the  offended  dignity  of  a  schoolboy  who  is 
ready  not  only  to  spite  those  dear  to  him  but  also  himself, 
he  determined  to  cover  himself  with  the  cloak  of  indiffer- 
'  ence.  With  this  view  he  turned  to  Zosia  and  began  to 
inquire  about  the  Zalesin  estate  and  begged  her  permis- 
sion to  inspect  it ;  and  she  told  him  that  it  would  give  her 
great   pleasure.      He   thanked   her   so   warmly   that   his 


200  WHIRLPOOLS. 

mother  was  led  into  an  error.  Miss  Anney  tried  several 
times  to  participate  in  the  conversation,  but  receiving 
from  him  indiflFerent  replies,  surprised  and  slightly  touched, 
began  to  listen  to  what  Gronski  was  saying. 

After  supper  the  doctor  announced  that  he  would  have 
to  leave.  For  a  while  he  spoke  with  Gronski,  and  then  took 
his  leave  of  the  ladies,  repeating,  "Until  to-morrow;  at 
the  railway  station."  He  advised  Ladislaus  to  return 
immediately  to  his  room  and  secure  a  good  rest  before 
proceeding  on  his  journey.  Gronski,  after  escorting  the 
doctor  to  the  gate,  accompanied  Ladislaus  to  his  room, 
and  when  they  found  themselves  alone,  perceiving  his 
mien  and  easily  surmising  the  cause  asked:  "What  ails 
you?    You  are  so  agreeable." 

And  Krzycki  answered  with  some  irritation:  "I  am  still 
feeling  weak;  otherwise  I  am  as  usual." 

But  Gronski  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"These,"  said  he,  "are  the  usual  misunderstandings 
of  lovers,  but  you,  above  all,  are  a  child  and  caused  her 
unpleasantness.  And  do  you  know  what  for?  Simply 
because  she  urged  Szremski  to  accompany  you  to  Warsaw." 

Ladislaus'  heart  quivered,  but  he  put  a  good  face  on  a 
bad  matter  and  would  not  yet  be  reconciled. 

"  I  do  not  feel  at  all  weak  and  can  get  along  without  his 
assistance." 

To  this  Gronski  replied : 

"  Good-night  to  you  and  your  logic." 

And  he  left  the  room. 

But  Ladislaus  when  he  was  undressed  and  in  bed, 
suddenly  felt  tears  welling  in  his  eyes  and  began  with  ex- 
traordinary tenderness  to  beg  pardon  of  —  the  pillow. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  201 


VI 

Gronski,  who  by  nature  was  very  obliging  and  devoted 
to  his  friends,  was  at  the  same  time  a  man  of  ample  means 
and  high  culture;  in  consequence  of  which  Ladislaus 
found  in  his  home  not  only  such  care  as  sincere  good  will 
alone  can  bestow,  and  comforts,  but  also  various  things 
which  were  lacking  in  Jastrzeb.  He  found,  especially, 
books,  a  few  paintings,  engravings,  and  various  small  ob- 
jects of  vertu ;  moreover,  the  residence  was  spacious,  well- 
ventilated,  and  not  over-crowded  with  unnecessary  articles. 
Thanks  to  the  host  a  highly  intellectual  and  esthetic 
atmosphere  prevailed,  in  which  the  young  heir  felt  indeed 
smaller  and  less  self-confident  than  in  Jastrzeb,  but  which 
he  breathed  with  pleasure.  He  was  seized,  however,  with 
a  fear  that  by  a  lengthy  stay  he  would  cause  his  older  friend 
trouble,  and  on  the  following  evening  he  began  to  argue 
with  Gronski  about  going  to  a  hotel. 

"Even  the  doctor  considers  me  well,"  he  said.  "The 
best  proof  of  it  is  that  he  permits  me  to  go  about  the  city 
in  three  days." 

"I  heard  something  about  five,"  answered  Gronski. 

"But  that  was  yesterday;  so,  not  counting  to-day,  three 
remain.  You  have  your  habits  which  you  must  not  change 
on  my  account.  It  is  indeed  a  pleasure  to  look  at  all  these 
things ;  so  I  will  come  here,  but  it  is  one  thing  to  visit  you 
for  an  hour,  or  even  two,  and  another  to  introduce  confu- 
sion into  your  mode  of  life." 

"I  will  only  say  this,"  answered  Gronski,  "Pani  Otocka 
and  Panna  Marynia  regard  me  as  an  old  bachelor  and 
promised  to  make  a  call  to-morrow,  or  the  day  after,  as 
they  have  often  done  before,  in  the  company  of  Miss  Anney. 


202  WHIRLPOOLS. 

Do  you  see  that  armchair  ?  On  it,  during  the  music-play- 
ing, sat  your  light-haired  beauty.  Go,  go  to  the  hotel, 
and  we  will  see  who,  besides  your  mother,  will  visit  you." 

"You  are  too  good." 

"I  am  an  old  egotist.  You  see  that  I  have  a  few  old 
household  effects,  which,  during  the  course  of  my  life,  I 
have  collected ;  but  one  thing,  though  I  were  as  rich  as 
Morgan  and  Jay  Gould  combined,  I  can  unfortunately 
never  buy,  and  that  is  youth.  And  you  have  so  much  of 
it  that  you  could  establish  a  bank  and  issue  stock.  From 
you  rays  plainly  emanate.  Let  them  illuminate  and  warm 
me  a  little.  In  other  words,  do  not  worry,  and  keep  quiet 
if  you  are  comfortable  here  with  me." 

"  I  only  do  not  desire  to  be  spoiled  by  too  much  attention, 
for,  speaking  sincerely,  I  feel  I  am  strong  enough  now." 

"So  much  the  better.  Thank  God,  Miss  Anney,  and 
the  doctor  that  the  journey  did  not  injure  you.  That  is 
what  I  feared  a  little." 

"It  did  not  hurt  me,  neither  did  it  help." 

"How  is  that?" 

"  Because  I  had  a  hope  that  on  the  road  I  could  tell  my 
bright  queen  that  which  I  hid  in  my  soul,  but  in  the  mean- 
time it  developed  that  this  was  a  foolish  hope.  We  sat  in 
the  compartment  like  herrings.  The  doctor  hung  over  me 
continually,  like  a  hangman  over  a  good  soul,  and  there 
was  not  a  chance,  even  for  a  moment." 

"Never,  never  make  any  avowals  in  a  railway  car,  for 
in  the  rumble  and  noise  the  most  pathetic  passages  are 
lost.  Finally,  as  Laskowicz  has  not  dispatched  you  to  the 
other  world,  you  will  easily  find  an  opportunity." 

"  Do  you  really  think  that  it  was  the  work  of  Laskowicz  ?" 

"No.  But  if  ever  I  should  ascertain  that  it  was  he,  I 
would  not  be  much  surprised;  for  such  a  situation,  in 
which  one  could  gratify  self  and  serve  a  good  cause,  occurs 
rarely." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  203 

"How  gratify  self  and  serve  a  good  cause?" 

"Good  in  his  judgment.  Do  you  not  live  from  human 
sweat  and  blood?" 

"That  is  very  true.  But  why  should  my  death  afford 
him  any  gratification  personally  ?  " 

"Because  he  has  conceived  a  hatred  for  you;  has  fallen 
in  love  with  some  one  and  regards  you  as  a  rival." 

Hearing  this,  Ladislaus  jumped  up  as  if  scalded. 

"What,  would  he  dare?" 

"I  assure  you  that  he  would  dare,"  replied  Gronski 
quietly,  "only  he  made  a  mistake.  But  that  he  is  not  want- 
ing in  courage  he  gave  proofs  when  he  wrote  an  avowal 
of  love  to  Marynia." 

Ladislaus  opened  wide  his  eyes  and  began  to  wink: 

"What  was  that?" 

"I  did  not  want  to  speak  to  you  about  it  in  Jastrzeb,  as 
at  that  time  you  often  drove  to  the  city.  I  feared  that  you 
might  meet  him  and  might  start  a  disagreeable  brawl. 
But  at  present  I  can  tell  you  every  thing;  Laskowicz  has 
fallen  in  love  with  Marynia  and  wrote  a  letter  to  her, 
which  of  course  remained  unanswered." 

"And  he  thought  that  I  also  am  in  love  with  Marynia." 

"  Permit  me ;  that  would  not  be  anything  extraordinary. 
He  might  have  overheard  something.  Whoever  is  in  love 
usually  imagines  that  every  one  is  reaching  after  the  ob- 
ject of  his  love.  Understand  that  Laskowicz  did  not  confide 
in  me,  but  that  is  my  hypothesis  which,  if  it  is  errone- 
ous, so  much  the  better  for  Laskowicz.  The  party  sent 
you  a  death  sentence  in  consequence  of  his  reports  and  this 
was  working  in  his  hand  for  personal  reasons.  After  all, 
he  may  not  have  participated  personally  in  the  attempt  —  " 

"Did  you  see  him  after  that  letter?" 

"How  could  I  see  him,  since  he  wrote  after  his  de- 
parture. But  it  was  lucky  that  I  advised  Pani  Otocka  to 
burn  that  lucubration,  for  if  the  letter  had  been  found 


204  WHIRLPOOLS. 

during  the  search  at  Jastrzeb,  you  can  readily  understand 
what  inferences  the  acuteness  of  the  poUce  might  have 
drawn." 

Anger  glittered  in  Ladislaus'  eyes. 

"I  prefer  that  Miss  Anney  be  not  involved,"  he  said; 
"nevertheless  I  would  not  advise  Laskowicz  to  meet  me. 
That  such  a  baboon,  as  Dolhanski  says,  should  dare  to 
lift  his  eyes  to  our  female  relative  in  our  home  and,  in  ad- 
dition thereto,  write  to  her  —  this  I  regard  plainly  as  an 
insult  which  I  cannot  forgive." 

"In  all  probability  you  will  never  meet  him;  so  you  will 
not  move  a  finger." 

"I?    Then  you  do  not  know  me.    Why  not?" 

"Among  other  reasons,  out  of  consideration  for  our 
pleasant  situation.  Consider;  duels  they  will  not  accept 
and  in  this  they  are  right.  What  then  ?  Will  you  cudgel 
him  with  a  cane  or  pull  his  ears?" 

"That  is  quite  possible." 

"Wait!  In  the  first  place  there  was  nothing  in  the  let- 
ter resembling  an  insult  and,  again,  what  further?  The 
police  would  take  you  both  into  custody,  and  there  they 
would  discover  that  they  had  caught  Laskowicz,  a  revolu- 
tionary bird,  whom  they  have  been  seeking  for  a  long 
time  and  would  send  him  to  Siberia,  or  even  hang  him. 
Can  you  take  anything  like  that  upon  your  conscience  ? " 

"May  the  deuce  take  these  times,"  cried  Ladislaus. 
"A  man  is  always  in  a  situation  from  which  there  is  no 
escape." 

"As  is  usual  between  two  anarchies,"  answered  Gronski. 
"After  all,  this  is  a  slight  illustration." 

Further  conversation  was  stopped  by  the  entrance  of  a 
servant  who  handed  to  Gronski  a  visiting  card  and  he, 
glancing  at  it,  said  : 

"Ask  him  to  step  in." 

Afterwards  he  asked  Ladislaus: 


WHIRLPOOLS.  205 

"Do  you  know  Swidwicki?" 

"  I  have  heard  the  name,  but  am  not  acquainted  with 
the  man." 

"He  is  a  relative  of  Pani  Otocka's  deceased  husband. 
A  very  peculiar  figure." 

At  that  moment  Swidwicki  entered  the  room.  He  was 
a  man  of  forty  years,  bald,  tall,  lean,  with  an  intelligent 
and  sour  face,  and  at  the  same  time  impudent.  He  was 
attired  carelessly  in  a  suit  which  appeared  to  fit  him  too 
loosely.  He  had,  however,  something  which  betrayed  his 
connection  with  the  higher  social  spheres. 

"How  is  Swidwa?"  Gronski  began. 

After  which  he  introduced  him  to  Ladislaus  and  con- 
tinued : 

"What  has  happened  to  you?  I  have  not  seen  you  for 
an  age." 

"  Why,  you  were  out  of  the  city." 

"  Yes ;  but  before  that  time  you  did  not  show  up  for  a 
month." 

"  In  my  old  age  I  have  become  an  anchorite." 

"Why?" 

"Because  I  am  wearied  by  the  folly  of  men  who  pass 
for  reasonable  beings  and  by  the  malice  of  men  who  pose 
as  good.  Finally,  I  now  roam  all  over  the  streets  from 
morning  until  night.  Ah !  There  exist  '  Attic  Nights,' 
'Florentine  Nights,'  and  I  have  a  desire  to  write  about 
'Warsaw  Days.'  Delightful  days  !  Titles  of  the  separate 
chapters  '  Hands  up  !  The  Rabble  on  Top.'  *  Away  with 
the  Geese.'  Do  you  know  that  at  this  moment  there  are 
so  many  troops  patrolling  the  streets  that  any  one  else  in 
my  place  would  have  been  arrested  ten  times." 

"I  know,  but  how  do  you  manage  to  avoid  it  ?" 

"  I  walk  everywhere  as  peacefully  as  if  in  my  own  rooms. 
The  way  I  do  it  is  simple.  As  often  as  I  am  not  drunk,  I 
pretend  to  be  drunk.    You  would  not  believe  what  sym- 


206  WHIRLPOOLS. 

pathy  and  respect  an  intoxicated  person  commands. 
And  in  my  opinion  this  is  but  just,  for  whoever  is  'under 
the  influence'  from  morning  till  night  is  innocent  and 
well  thinking;  upon  him  the  so-called  social  order  can 
rely  with  confidence." 

"Surely.  But  the  social  order  which  depended  upon 
such  people  would  not  stand  upon  steady  legs." 

"Who,  to-day,  does  stand  on  steady  legs?  Doctrines 
intoxicate  more  than  alcohol  —  therefore  at  this  moment 
all  are  drunk.  The  empire  is  staggering,  the  revolution 
is  reeling,  the  parties  are  floundering,  and  a  third  person 
stands  on  the  side  and  looks  on.  Soon  all  will  tumble  to 
the  ground.  Then  there  will  be  order,  and  may  it  come  as 
soon  as  possible." 

"You  ought  to  be  that  third  person." 

"The  third  person  is  the  German  and  we  are  fools. 
We  begin  by  falling  to  loggerheads,  and  have  reached  such 
a  state  that  the  only  salvation  for  our  social  soul  would 
be  a  decent  civil  war." 

Here  he  became  silent  and  after  a  while  turned  to 
Ladislaus. 

"  I  see  that  your  eyes  are  wide  open,  but  nevertheless  it 
is  so.  A  civil  war  is  a  superb  thing.  Nothing  like  it  to 
clarify  the  situation  and  purify  the  atmosphere.  But  to 
be  led  to  such  a  situation  and  not  to  be  able  to  create  it  is 
the  acme  of  misfortune  or  folly." 

"I  confess  that  I  do  not  understand,"  said  Ladislaus. 

Gronski  motioned  with  his  hand  and  remarked : 

"Do  not  attempt  to,  for  after  every  fifteen  minutes  of 
conversation  you  will  not  know  what  is  black  and  what  is 
white  and  your  head  will  swim,  or  you  will  get  a  fever, 
which  as  a  wounded  man  you  should  try  to  avoid." 

"True,"  said  Swidwicki,  "I  had  heard  and  even  read  in 
some  newspaper  of  the  occurrence  and  paid  close  atten- 
tion to  it  because  in  your  home  Pan  Gronski  and  Pani 


WHIRLPOOLS.  207 

Otocka  with  her  sister  were  being  entertained.  I  am  a 
relative  of  the  late  aged  Otocka.  Those  women  must 
have  been  scared.  But  if  they  think  that  they  are  safer 
here  in  the  city  they  are  mistaken." 

"Judging  from  what  can  be  seen,  it  is  really  no  safer 
here.    Have  you  seen  those  ladies  yet?" 

"No,  I  do  not  like  to  go  there." 

At  this,  Ladislaus,  who  by  nature  was  impetuous  and 
bold,  frowned,  and  looking  Swidwicki  in  the  eyes,  replied : 

"  I  do  not  ask  the  reason,  for  that  does  not  interest  me, 
but  I  give  you  warning  that  they  are  my  relatives." 

"Whose  cause  a  young  knight  would  have  to  champion," 
answered  Swidwicki,  gazing  at  Ladislaus.  *'Ah,  no!  If  I 
had  any  intention  of  saying  anything  against  the  ladies  I 
would  not  say  it,  as  Gronski  would  throw  me  down  the 
stairs  and  I  have  a  favor  to  ask  of  him.  What  I  said  is 
the  highest  praise  for  them  and  simply  gall  and  worm- 
wood for  me." 

"Beg  pardon,  again;  I  do  not  understand." 

"For  you  see  that  for  the  average  Pole  to  have  respect 
for  any  one  and  not  to  be  able  to  sharpen  his  teeth  upon 
him  is  always  annoying.  I  cannot  speak  of  the  ladies  as  I 
would  wish,  that  is,  disparagingly.  I  cannot  endure  ideal 
women;  besides  that,  whenever  it  happens  that  I  pass 
an  evening  with  them,  I  become  a  more  decent  man  and 
that  is  a  luxury  which  in  these  times  we  cannot  afford." 

Ladislaus  began  to  laugh  and  Gronski  said : 

"I  told  you  that  surely  your  head  would  swim." 

After  which  to  Swidwicki : 

"If  he  should  get  any  worse,  I  will  induce  him  to  send 
the  doctor's  and  apothecary's  bill  to  you." 

"If  that  is  the  case,  I  will  go,"  answered  Swidwicki, 
"but  you  had  better  come  with  me  into  another  room  for 
I  have  some  business  with  you  which  I  prefer  to  discuss 
without  witnesses." 


208  WHIRLPOOLS. 

And,  taking  leave  of  Ladislaus,  he  stepped  out.  Gronski 
accompanied  him  to  the  ante-room  and  after  a  while  re- 
turned, shrugging  his  shoulders: 

"What  a  strange  gentleman,"  said  Ladislaus.  "I  hope 
I  am  not  indiscreet,  but  did  he  want  to  borrow  any  money 
from  you  ?  " 

"Worse,"  answered  Gronski.  "This  time  it  was  a  few 
Falk  engravings.  I  positively  refused  as  he  most  fre- 
quently returns  money  or  rather  he  lets  you  take  it  out  of 
his  annuity,  but  books,  engravings,  and  such  things  he 
never  gives  back." 

"Is  he  making  a  collection?" 

"  On  the  contrary  he  throws  or  gives  them  away ;  loans 
or  destroys  them.  Do  I  know?  You  will  now  have  an 
opportunity  of  meeting  him  oftener,  for  though  I  refused 
to  loan  them,  I  permitted  him  to  come  here  to  look  over 
and  study  them.  He  undoubtedly  is  writing  a  book  about 
Falk." 

"Ah,  so  he  is  a  literary  man." 

"He  might  have  been  one.  As  you  will  meet  him,  I 
must  warn  you  a  little  against  him.  I  will  describe  him 
briefly.  He  is  a  man  to  whom  the  Lord  gave  a  good  name, 
a  large  estate,  good  looks,  great  ability,  and  a  good  heart, 
and  he  has  succeeded  in  wasting  them  all." 

"Even  a  good  heart?" 

"Inasmuch  as  he  is  a  rather  pernicious  person,  it  is 
better  that  he  does  not  write.  For  you  see  that  it  may 
happen  that  somebody's  brains  decay,  just  as  with  people, 
sick  with  consumption,  their  lungs  decay.  But  no  one 
has  the  right  to  feed  the  nation  with  the  putrefaction  of 
his  lungs  or  his  brains.  And  there  are  many  like  him. 
He  does  not  act  for  the  public  weal  but  merely  for  his  own 
private  affairs.  Do  you  know  how  he  accounts  for  not 
accomplishing  anything  in  his  life?  In  this  way:  that 
to  do  so  one  must  believe  and  to  believe  it  is  necessary 


WHIRLPOOLS.  209 

to  have  a  certain  amount  of  stupidity  which  he  does  not 
possess.  I  am  not  speaking  now  of  rehgious  matters. 
He  simply  does  not  beheve  that  anything  can  be  true 
or  false,  just  or  unjust,  good  or  bad.  But  Balzac  wisely 
says:  'Qui  dit  doute,  dit  impuissance.'  Swidwicki  is 
irritated  and  filled  with  bitterness  by  the  fact  that  he 
is  not  anything;  therefore  he  saves  himself  by  para- 
doxes and  turns  intellectual  somersaults.  I  once  saw  a 
clown  who  amused  the  public  by  giving  his  cap  various 
strange  and  ridiculous  shapes.  Swidwicki  does  the  same 
with  truth  and  logic.  He  is  also  a  clown,  but  an  embittered 
and  spiteful  one.  For  this  reason  he  always  holds  an 
opinion  opposite  to  that  of  the  person  with  whom  he  is 
speaking.  This  happens  particularly  when  he  is  drunk, 
and  he  gets  drunk  every  night.  Then  to  a  patriot  he  will 
say  that  fatherland  is  folly;  in  the  presence  of  a  believer 
he  will  scoff  at  faith;  to  a  conservative  he  will  say  that 
only  anarchy  and  revolution  are  worth  anything;  to  the 
socialist  that  the  proletariat  have  'snouts.'  I  have 
heard  how  he  thus  expressed  himself,  and  only  for  this 
reason,  that  he,  'a  superman,'  might  have  something  to 
hit  at  when  the  notion  seizes  him.  And  thus  it  is  always. 
In  discussion  he  shines  with  paradoxes,  but  sometimes  it 
chances  that  he  says  something  striking  because  in  all 
criticism  there  is  some  justice.  If  you  wish,  I  will  arrange 
such  a  spectacle,  though  for  me  he  has  a  certain  regard, 
firstly,  because  he  likes  me,  and  again  because  I  have 
rendered  him  a  few  services  in  life.  He  promised  to  repay 
me  with  black  ingratitude,  but  in  the  meantime  he  does 
not  molest  me  with  such  energy  as  the  others." 

"And  no  one  has  yet  broken  his  bones,"  observed 
Ladislaus. 

"He  does  not,  in  the  least,  retreat  from  that.  He  him- 
self seeks  trouble  and  there  is  not  a  year  in  which  he  does 
not  provoke  some  encounter." 

14 


210  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"In  the  taverns?" 

"Not  only  there.  For  belonging  by  name  and  family 
connections  to  the  so  called  higher  walks  of  life,  he  has 
many  acquaintances  there.  Two  years  ago,  indeed,  the 
artists  gave  him  a  good  cudgelling  in  a  tavern;  and,  for 
instance,  Dolhanski  (their  dislike  is  mutual)  shot  him  last 
spring  in  a  duel." 

"  Ah,  that  was  when  I  heard  his  name ;  now  I  remember." 

"Perhaps  you  heard  it  before,  for  previously  he  had  a 
few  affairs  about  women,  as,  in  addition,  he  is  a  great 
ladies'  man.    Finally  he  is  an  unbridled  rogue." 

"As  to  women?  or  up  to  date?" 

"  He  is  not  an  old  man.  For  some  time  he  has  been  in 
the  state  where  he  likes  not  ladies  but  their  maids.  Fancy 
that  not  long  ago  he  was  so  smitten  with  Miss  Anney's 
maid,  —  the  same  brunette  who  nursed  you  a  little  in 
Jastrzeb,  —  that  for  a  time  he  was  continually  dogging  her 
steps.  He  said  that  once  she  reviled  him  on  the  stairway 
but  this  charmed  him  all  the  more." 

Krzycki  at  the  mention  of  the  brunette  who  nursed  him 
in  Jastrzeb  became  so  confused  that  Gronski  noticed  it, 
but  not  knowing  what  had  passed  between  him  and 
Pauline,  judged  that  the  enamoured  youth  was  offended 
at  the  thought  that  such  an  individual  as  Swidwicki  should 
bustle  about  Miss  Anney.  So  desiring  to  remove  the 
impression,  he  remarked: 

"He  says  that  he  does  not  like  to  call  upon  those  ladies, 
but  Pani  Otocka  does  not  welcome  him  at  all  with  enthu- 
siasm. She  receives  him  merely  out  of  respect  for  the 
memory  of  her  husband,  who  was  his  cousin  and  who,  at 
one  time,  was  the  conservator  of  his  estate.  After  all,  it  is 
probable  that  Swidwicki  feels  out  of  place  among  such 
ladies." 

"For  microbes  do  not  love  a  pure  atmosphere." 

"This  much  is  certain:  there  is  within  him  *a  moral 


WHIRLPOOLS.  211 

insanity.'  I  have  become  accustomed  to  him,  but  there 
are  certain  things  in  him  I  cannot  endure.  You  have  no 
idea  of  the  contemptuous  pity,  the  dishke,  and  the  down- 
right hatred  with  which  he  expresses  himself  about  every- 
thing which  is  PoHsh.  And  here  I  call  a  halt.  Notwith- 
standing our  good  relations,  it  almost  came  to  a  personal 
encounter  between  us.  For  when  he  began  to  squirt  his 
bilious  wit,  a  certain  night,  on  all  Poland,  I  said  to  him, 
*  That  lion  is  not  yet  dead,  and  if  he  dies  we  know  who  alone 
is  capable  of  kicking  at  a  dying  lion.'  He  did  not  come 
here  for  over  a  month,  but  was  I  not  right  ?  I  understand 
how  some  great  hero,  who  was  repaid  with  ingratitude, 
might  speak  with  bitterness  and  venom  of  his  country,  but 
Swidwicki  is  not  a  Miltiades  or  a  Themistocles.  And 
such  an  outpouring  of  bile  is  directly  pernicious,  for  he, 
with  his  immensely  flashing  intellect,  finds  imitators  and 
creates  a  fashion,  in  consequence  of  which  various  persons 
who  have  never  done  anything  for  Poland  whet  their 
rusty  wits  upon  this  whetstone.  I  understand  criticism, 
though  it  be  inexorable,  but  when  it  becomes  a  horse  or 
rather  an  ass  from  which  one  never  dismounts,  then  it  is 
bad,  for  it  takes  away  the  desire  to  live  from  those  who, 
however,  must  live  —  and  is  vile,  because  it  is  spitting  upon 
society,  is  often  sinful  and,  above  all,  unprecedentedly 
unfortunate.  Pessimism  is  not  reason  but  a  surrogate  of 
reason ;  therefore,  a  cheat,  such  as  the  merchant  who  sells 
chiccory  for  coffee.  And  such  a  surrogate  you  now  meet 
at  every  step  in  life  and  in  literature." 

Here  Gronski  became  silent  for  a  while  and  raised  his 
brows ;  and  Krzycki  said : 

"  From  what  you  say,  I  see  that  Swidwicki  is  a  big  ape." 

"At  times,  I  think  that  he  is  a  man  incredibly  wretched, 

and  for  that  reason  I  did  not  break  off  relations  with  him. 

Besides  he  has  for  me  a  kind  of  attachment  and  this  always 

disarms  one.     Finally,  I  confess  openly  that  I  have  the 


212  WHIRLPOOLS. 

purely  Polish  weakness,  which  indulges  and  forgives  every- 
thing in  people  who  amuse  us.  He  at  times  is  very  amusing, 
especially  when  in  a  talking  mood  and  when  he  is  tipsy  to 
a  certain  degree." 

"But  finally,  if  he  does  not  work  but  talks,  from  what 
does  he  live  ?  " 

"He  does  not  belong  to  the  poor  class.  Once  he  was 
very  wealthy ;  later  he  lost  a  greater  portion  of  his  fortune. 
But  in  the  end  the  late  Otocki  who  was  a  most  upright 
man,  and  very  practical  besides,  seeing  what  was  taking 
place,  took  the  matter  in  his  own  hands,  saved  considerable 
and  changed  the  capital  into  an  annuity.  From  this 
Swidwicki  receives  a  few  thousand  roubles  annually,  and 
though  he  spends  more  than  he  ought  to,  he  has  something 
to  live  upon.  If  he  did  not  drink,  he  would  have  a  suffi- 
ciency: one  passion  he  does  not  possess,  namely,  cards. 
He  says  that  for  cards  one  must  have  the  intellect  of  a 
negro.  From  just  that  arose  the  encounter  with  Dolhanski. 
But  after  all,  they  could  not  bear  each  other  of  old.  Both, 
as  some  one  had  said,  are  commercial  travellers,  dealing  in 
cynicism  and  competing  with  each  other." 

"Between  the  two,  I,  however,  prefer  Dolhanski,"  said 
Krzycki. 

"Because  he  amuses  you,  and  Swidwicki  has  not  thus 
far  had  the  opportunity.  Eternally,  it  is  the  same  Polish 
weakness,"  answered  Gronski. 

After  a  while  he  added : 

"In  Dolhanski  it  is  easier  to  see  the  bottom." 

"And  at  that  bottom,  Panna  Kajetana." 

"At  present  it  may,  in  truth,  be  so.  Do  you  know  that 
Dolhanski  brought  those  ladies  with  him  on  the  train 
which  followed  ours  ?  He  told  me  also  that  they  would  at 
once  pay  a  visit  to  your  mother  and  Pani  Otocka," 

"You  will  really  call  upon  them  to-day?" 

"Yes,  I  call  there  daily.    But  as  you  are  not  permitted 


WHIRLPOOLS.  213 

to  go  out,  I  will  invite  the  ladies  to  come  here  to-morrow 
afternoon  for  tea." 

"  I  thank  you  most  heartily.  I  am  not  allowed  to  go  out 
but  I  could  drive  over." 

"My  servant  told  me  that  by  order  of  the  Party  a  strike 
of  the  hackdrivers  will  begin  to-morrow  morning." 

"Then  how  can  those  ladies  ride  over  here  to-morrow  ?  " 

"In  the  private  carriages.  Unless  they  are  forbidden  to 
ride  in  private.  —  " 

"In  that  case  Mother  will  be  unable  to  see  me." 

"If  it  is  quiet  upon  the  streets,  I  will  conduct  her 
here  and  escort  her  home.  At  times  it  is  so  that  one  day 
the  streets  are  turbulent  as  the  sea,  and  the  next,  still  and 
deserted.  In  reality  it  is  a  relative  security ;  for  whoever  goes 
out  to-day  in  the  city  cannot  feel  certain  that  he  will  re- 
turn. If  not  these  then  the  others  may  stick  in  your  side  a 
knife  or  a  bayonet.  But  for  women  it  is  comparatively 
safe." 

"Under  these  circumstances,  it  would  be  better  if  my 
mother  did  not  visit  me  at  all.  I  prefer  to  stay  out  those 
three  days  which  Szremski  has  imposed  upon  me,  to 
exposing  her  or  any  of  those  ladies  to  peril.  Please  post- 
pone that  'five  o'clock.'" 

"Perhaps  it  will  be  necessary  to  do  that.  But  your 
mother  will  not  consent  to  not  seeing  you  for  three  days. 
Maybe  some  one  else  will  importune  me  that  I  should  not 
defer  the  party." 

Ladislaus'  face  glowed  with  deep  and  tender  joy. 

"Tell  Mother  that  worry  about  her  may  harm  me  and 
cause  a  fever,  and  tell  that  other  one  that  I  kiss  the  hem  of 
her  dress." 

"No.    Such  things  you  must  say  yourself." 

"  Oh,  that  I  could  not  only  tell  her  that  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, but  do  it.  In  the  meantime  I  have  a  favor  to  ask  of 
you.    Please  send  your  servant  to  the  city.    If  he  is  afraid 


214  WHIRLPOOLS. 

let  him  call  a  messenger.  I  would  like  to  send  that  other 
one  a  few  flowers." 

"Then  send  also  some  to  your  cousins,  as  otherwise 
your  mother  will  be  prematurely  surprised." 

"  Surely  she  would  be  astonished,  for  owing  to  her  sickness 
she  saw  us  so  little  together  that  she  could  not  take  in  the 
situation.    But  soon  I  will  confess  all  to  her." 

"I  will  only  tell  you  what  Pani  Otocka  said  to  me.  She 
said  this:  'Let  Ladislaus  not  speak  with  his  mother 
before  his  final  interview  with  Aninka  as  otherwise  he 
would  be  unable  to  tell  her  everything.'  " 

Krzycki  looked  Gronski  quickly  in  the  eyes. 

"And  do  you  not  know  what  the  matter  is?" 

"You  know  that  I  have  never  been  accused  of  a  lack  of 
curiosity,"  answered  Gronski,  "but  I  judged  that  Pani 
Otocka  has  sufficient  reasons  for  remaining  silent,  and, 
therefore,  I  did  not  question  her  about  anything." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  215 


VII 

Gronski  actually  did  postpone  his  "five  o'clock."  Pani 
Krzycki,  however,  visited  her  son,  sometimes  twice  in  a  day, 
claiming  justly  that  less  danger  threatened  an  elderly 
woman  than  any  one  else.  Ladislaus  passed  long  hours 
with  her,  speaking  about  everything,  but  mostly  about  Miss 
Anney.  After  Gronski's  admonition,  he  did  not,  indeed, 
confess  to  his  mother  his  feelings  for  the  young  English- 
woman and  did  not  mention  a  word  about  his  intentions, 
but  the  fact,  alone,  that  her  name  was  continually  on  his 
lips,  that  he  ascribed  his  preservation  to  her  alone,  and 
incessantly  talked  about  the  debt  of  gratitude  which  he 
and  his  family  owed  to  her,  gave  his  mother  much  to 
think  about.  The  suspicion,  which  had  flitted  through 
her  mind  on  the  eve  of  their  departure  from  Jastrzeb, 
returned  and  became  more  and  more  strongly  fortified. 
She  did  not,  indeed,  take  it  for  granted  that  Ladislaus  had 
already  taken  an  unbreakable  resolution  but  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  he  was  "smitten"  and  finally  that  the 
light-haired  maiden  had  made  a  greater  impression  upon 
him  than  had  his  cousin  Otocka.  This  filled  her  with 
sorrow.  During  the  journey  and  their  few  days'  sojourn  in 
Warsaw  she  took  a  fancy  to  Miss  Anney  for  her  demeanor, 
simplicity,  and  complaisance;  but  "Zosia  Otocka"  was  the 
little  eye  in  her  head.  From  the  moment  she  met  her  in 
Krynica,  she  never  ceased  dreaming  of  her  for  her  son. 
She  judged  that,  in  respect  to  nobility  and  delicacy  of  senti- 
ment, no  one  could  compare  with  her.  She  regarded  her 
as  a  chosen  soul  and  the  incarnation  of  womanly  angelical- 
ness.    She  had  awaited  her  arrival  with  palpitation  of  the 


216  WHIRLPOOLS. 

heart,  not  supposing  for  a  moment  that  Ladislaus  would 
not  be  captivated  by  her  figure,  her  sweet  countenance,  that 
maidenly  charm,  which,  notwithstanding  her  widowhood, 
she  preserved  in  full  bloom.  And  until  the  end  Pani  Krzy- 
cki  indulged  in  the  hope  that  all  would  end  according  to 
her  desires,  not  taking  into  account  the  fleeting  impression 
in  Jastrzeb ;  only  during  the  journey  to  Warsaw  and  in  the 
course  of  the  last  few  days  did  she  note  that  it  might 
happen  otherwise,  and  that  Ladislaus'  eyes  were  enrapt- 
ured by  another  flower.  She  preferred,  however,  not  to 
question  him  for  she  thought  that  it  might  yet  pass 
away. 

He,  in  the  meantime,  chafed  as  if  imprisoned,  and  would 
undoubtedly  have  not  observed  those  few  days  which 
the  doctor  stipulated,  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  he  had 
made  a  promise  to  his  mother  in  Miss  Anney's  presence, 
and  feared  to  create  an  opinion  in  her  eyes  that  he  was 
a  man  who  did  not  keep  his  word.  After  the  advice  which 
Pani  Otocka,  through  the  instrumentality  of  Gronski, 
gave  him  that  he  should  first  speak  with  Miss  Anney,  it 
became  more  unendurable  for  him  to  sit  in  the  house. 
From  morning  till  night  he  racked  his  brain  as  to  what 
that  could  be  and  could  arrive  at  no  satisfactory  solution. 
The  day  following  the  conversation  with  Gronski,  he  de- 
cided to  ask  Pani  Otocka  about  it  by  letter  and  sat  down 
with  great  ardor  to  write.  But  after  the  first  page  he  was 
encompassed  by  doubt.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he  could 
not  express  that  which  he  wished.  He  understood  that, 
under  the  address  of  Pani  Otocka,  he  was  really  writing  to 
Miss  Anney.  So  he  yearned  to  make  it  a  masterpiece,  and 
in  the  meantime  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  some- 
thing so  bungling  and  maladroit  that  it  was  impossible  to 
forward  it.  Finally  he  lost  all  faith  in  his  stylistic  accom- 
plishments, and  this  spoilt  his  humor  so  far  that  he  again 
began  to  ask  himself  in  his  soul  whether  such  "an  ass," 


WHIRLPOOLS.  217 

who  is  unable  to  indite  three  words,  has  the  right  to  aspire 
to  such  an  extraordinary  and  in  every  respect  perfect 
being  as  "She."  Gronski,  however,  comforted  him  with 
the  explanation  that  the  letter  was  not  a  success  because 
from  the  beginning  the  project  was  bafl3ing  and  under 
such  circumstances  no  one  could  succeed.  After  which 
he  also  called  his  attention  to  another  circumstance, 
namely,  that  from  Pani  Otocka's  words  and  her  advice 
that  an  interview  with  Miss  Anney  should  precede  any  talk 
with  his  mother  could  be  drawn  the  inference  that  there 
everything  was  prepared  for  an  explosion,  and  all  means 
preventative  of  a  heart-break  had  been  provided.  Mirth 
immediately  returned  to  Ladislaus  and  he  began  to  laugh 
like  a  child  and  afterwards  again  sent  to  the  three  ladies 
bouquets  of  the  most  magnificent  roses  which  Warsaw 
could  provide. 

The  day  concluded  yet  more  propitiously,  for  proofs 
of  appreciation  arrived.  They  were  brought  to  Gronski's 
house  by  Panna  Pauly  in  the  form  of  a  small  and  perfumed 
note,  on  which  was  written  by  the  hand  of  the  light-haired 
divinity  the  following  words:  "We  thank  you  for  the 
beautiful  roses  and  hope  for  an  early  meeting."  Further 
came  the  signatures  of  Agnes  Anney,  Zosia  Otocka,  and 
Marynia  Zbyltowska.  Krzycki  pronounced  the  letter  a 
masterpiece  of  simplicity  and  eloquence.  He  certainly 
would  have  kissed  each  letter  of  it  separately,  were  it  not 
for  the  fact  that  before  him  stood  Panna  Pauly,  with 
clouded  face,  and  eyes  firmly  fixed  upon  him  —  uneasy 
and  already  full  of  suspicious  jealousy,  though  obviously 
not  knowing  against  which  one  of  the  three  ladies  it  was 
to  be  directed.  Krzycki,  not  concealing  the  joy  which 
the  letter  gave  him,  turned  to  her  and  said : 

"What  is  new,  little  Miss?    Are  the  ladies  well?" 
"Yes.     My  mistress  instructed  me  to  inquire  about 
your  health." 


218  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"Kindly  thank  her.  It  is  excellent,  and  if  I  am  not 
shot  again,  I  will  not  die  from  the  first  shooting." 

And  she,  not  taking  her  bottomless  eyes  off  him,  replied : 

"God  be  praised." 

"But  that  you,  little  Miss,  should  not  fear  to  go  out  in 
such  turbulent  times!" 

"The  lackey  was  afraid,  but  I  do  not  fear  anything  and 
wanted  to  see  for  myself  how  you  were." 

"There  is  a  daring  body  for  me  !  I  am  grateful  to  you, 
little  Miss.  Since  this  stupid  strike  of  hackmen  ended 
to-day,  it  is  better  for  you  to  return  by  hack.  Please  ac- 
cept this  —  for  —  " 

While  saying  this,  he  began  to  search  for  his  purse, 
and  taking  a  five-rouble  gold  piece,  he  offered  it  to  her.  At 
the  same  time  he  felt  that  he  was  doing  something  im- 
proper, and  even  terrible.  It  was  so  dioagreeable  to  him 
that  he  became  confused  and  reddened,  but  it  seemed  to 
him  that  any  other  method  of  showing  his  gratitude  would 
be  food  for  the  feeling  which  he  perceived  in  her  and 
which  he  wished  to  dispel,  because  of  some  strange  kind 
of  fear  intensified  even  by  the  fact  that  the  girl  was  Miss 
Anney's  maid. 

Therefore  he  began  to  repeat  with  a  forced  and  slightly 
silly  smile: 

"  Please,  Panna  Pauly,  take  it,  please  —  " 

But  she  withdrew  her  hand  and  her  face  darkened  in  a 
moment. 

"I  thank  you,"  she  said.    "I  did  not  come  for  that." 

And  she  turned  towards  the  door.  To  the  dissatis- 
faction with  himself  which  Krzycki  felt  was  joined  pity 
for  her.    Therefore  he  followed  her  a  few  steps. 

"Let  not  the  little  lady  be  offended,"  he  said;  "here, 
of  course,  was  no  other  thought  than  of  her  safety.  It 
was  only  about  this  that  I  was  concerned.  Shall  the 
servant  summon  a  carriage  ?  —  " 


WHIRLPOOLS.  219 

But  she  did  not  answer  and  left  the  house.  Krzycki, 
walking  to  the  window,  gazed  for  some  time  at  her  grace- 
ful form,  disappearing  in  the  depths  of  the  street;  and 
suddenly  again  appeared  before  his  eyes  the  vision  of  the 
white  statue  in  azure  drops  of  water.  There  was,  however, 
something  exasperating  in  her;  and  unwillingly  there  oc- 
curred to  the  frail  young  gentleman  the  thought  that  if 
she  were  not  Miss  Anney's  maid,  and  if  he  had  known  her 
formerly,  that  as  two  and  two  are  four  he  would  have  suc- 
cumbed to  temptation. 

But  at  present  another,  greater  power  had  snatched 
away  his  thoughts  and  heart.  After  a  while  he  returned 
to  the  letter  and  began  to  read  it  anew:  "We  thank  you 
for  the  beautiful  roses  and  hope  for  an  early  meeting." 
And  so  they  want  to  see  him  over  there.  The  day  after 
to-morrow  he  will  not  be  sitting  here,  bound  by  the  chains 
of  his  own  words,  but  will  go  there  and  gaze  in  those 
wonderful  eyes,  looking  with  a  heavenly  stream,  and  will 
so  press  his  lips  to  her  beloved  hands  that  in  one  kiss  he 
will  tell  everything  which  he  has  in  his  heart.  Words 
will  be  later  only  an  echo.  And  imagination  bore  him 
like  an  unmanageable  horse.  Perhaps  that  idolized  maid 
may  at  once  fall  into  his  arms;  perhaps  she  may  close 
those  wonderful  eyes  and  offer  her  lips  to  him.  At  this 
thought  a  thrill  passed  through  Krzycki  from  his  feet  to 
his  head  and  it  seemed  to  him  that  all  the  love,  all  the  im- 
pulses, and  all  the  desires  which  ever  existed  and  exist  in 
the  world  at  present  were  hoarded  in  him  alone. 


220  WHIRLPOOLS. 


VIII 

Gronski  spent  the  entire  next  day  in  the  city;  at  night 
he  was  at  Pani  Otoeka's,  so  that  he  did  not  return  home 
until  near  midnight.  Krzycki  was  not  yet  asleep  and  as 
his  mother,  on  account  of  the  disturbances  on  the  streets 
could  not  visit  him  that  day,  he  awaited  with  impatience 
Gronski's  return,  and  immediately  began  to  question  him 
about  the  news  in  the  city  and  of  the  ladies. 

"The  news  in  the  city  is  bad,"  answered  Gronski; 
"about  noon  I  heard  the  firing  of  musketry  in  the  factory 
district.  Before  calling  upon  Pani  Otocka,  I  was  at  a 
meeting  in  the  Philharmonic  at  which  representatives  of 
some  of  the  warring  factions  met,  and  do  you  know  what 
kind  of  an  impression  I  took  away  with  me  ?  Why,  that, 
unfortunately,  Swidwicki  in  certain  respects  was  right  and 
that  we  have  come  to  the  pass  where  only  a  civil  war  can 
clear  the  atmosphere.  In  this  would  be  the  greater  tragedy 
for  it  would,  at  the  same  time,  be  the  final  extinction.  But 
of  this  later.  I  have  a  head  so  tired  and  nerves  so  shattered 
that  to-day  I  cannot  think  of  such  things." 

Here  he  rang  for  the  servant,  and  notwithstanding  the 
late  hour  directed  him  to  prepare  tea.  Then  he  con- 
tinued : 

"But  from  Pani  Otocka  I  bring  news.  You  would  not 
believe  your  ears  when  I  tell  you  what  happened.  Why 
this  afternoon,  before  my  arrival,  Laskowicz  called  on 
those  ladies." 

Krzycki  dropped  from  his  hand  the  cigar  which  he  was 
smoking. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  221 

"Laskowicz?"  he  asked. 

"Yes." 

"But  the  police  are  looking  for  him." 

"They  are  looking  for  him  in  the  country  and  not  in 
Warsaw.  The  police,  like  all  the  rest,  have  lost  their 
heads.  After  all,  it  is  easier  to  hide  in  a  large  city.  But, 
really,  if  he  himself  flew  into  their  hands,  they  might 
clutch  him." 

"But  what  did  he  want  from  Pani  Otocka?  " 

"According  to  my  conjectures,  he  wanted  to  see  Mary- 
nia,  but  came  ostensibly  for  a  contribution  for  revolution- 
ary purposes.  After  all,  they  are  now  continually  soliciting 
contributions." 

"And  did  the  ladies  give?" 

"No.  They  told  him  that  they  would  not  give  any- 
thing for  the  revolution,  and  for  the  hungry  and  those  de- 
prived of  employment  they  had  already  sent  as  much  as 
they  could  to  a  newspaper  office.  In  fact,  this  was  the 
truth.  Pani  Otocka  donated  a  considerable  amount,  and 
Miss  Anney  also.  Laskowicz  attempted  to  explain  to 
them  that  a  refusal  would  expose  the  refractory  to  dangers 
and  for  that  reason  he  came  to  them  personally  to  shield 
them  from  it.  He  was  very  much  displeased  and  incensed, 
particularly  as  he  saw  only  Pani  Zosia  and  Miss  Anney, 
for  Marynia  did  not  appear.  He  announced  however  that 
he  would  come  again." 

"Let  him  try!"    cried  Ladislaus,  clenching  his  fists. 

But  afterwards  he  asked  with  surprise: 

"How  did  he  get  in  there,  and  why  did  they  receive 
him?" 

"The  male  servants  throughout  the  whole  city  are 
terror-stricken  and  the  words  'From  the  Party'  everywhere 
open  the  doors  like  the  best  pick-lock.  But  Laskowicz 
did  not  have  to  use  even  these  means,  as  it  happened  that 
Pani  Otocka's  footman  was  in  the  cellar  and  he  was  ad- 


222  WHIRLPOOLS. 

mitted  by  Miss  Anney's  maid,  who  knew  him  from  Jas- 
trzeb  and  thought  that  he  came  as  a  good  acquaintance." 

"In  any  case  she  acquitted  herself  foolishly." 

"My  dear  sir,  what  could  she  know  about  him?  Of 
course,  no  one  told  her  what  he  was  and  she  saw  him 
among  us ;  she  saw  how  he  rode  away  to  the  city  with  me 
and  that  he  was  the  tutor  of  the  younger  members  of 
your  family.  That  he  participated  in  the  attack  upon  you, 
also,  could  not  have  occurred  to  her  mind,  for  from  our 
side  that  is  only  a  supposition  which  we  did  not  confide 
to  the  ladies,  in  order  not  to  disquiet  them,  and  much  less  to 
her." 

"Perhaps  she  herself  is  a  socialist." 

"  I  doubt  it,  for  after  the  attempt,  hearing  that  you  were 
wounded,  it  is  said  she  wailed  so  bitterly  that  she  could  be 
heard  all  over  Jastrzeb;  she  invoked  all  the  punishments 
of  hades  upon  your  would-be  assassins.  Miss  Anney  was 
much  affected  by  that.  I  remember  also  that  when  it  was 
rumored  that  the  Rzeslew  people  did  it,  she  vowed  to 
set  fire  to  Rzeslewo.    Ah,  you  always  have  luck  —  " 

"I  do  not  care  for  such  luck.  But  as  to  Laskowicz  she, 
of  course,  saw  during  the  search  at  Jastrzeb  that  they 
were  seeking  him." 

"Well,  what  of  it?  Were  you  not  persecuted  for 
establishing  a  school?  In  this  country  all  sympathy  is 
always  on  the  side  of  the  fugitive.  Imagine  for  yourself 
that  when  Miss  Anney  forbade  her  to  admit  Laskowicz 
any  more,  she  became  indignant.  Evidently  it  seemed  to 
her  that  Miss  Anney  did  that  from  fear  of  the  police." 

"Miss  Anney  gave  indisputable  proofs  that  she  does 
not  fear  anything." 

"So  I  also  do  not  suspect  her  of  fear,  nor  Pani  Otocka. 
But,  instead,  I  confess  to  you  what  I  fear.  That  mad- 
man, if  he  does  not  personally  appear  there,  will  hover 
about  them,  and  what  is  more  will  write  letters ;  all  letters 


WHIRLPOOLS.  223 

now  travel  undoubtedly  through  the  black  cabinets.  If  I 
knew  where  I  could  find  him,  I  would  warn  him  above 
all  things  not  to  dare  to  write  any  more." 

"I  will  warn  him  of  that  and  something  else,  if  I  can 
only  meet  him." 

"Since  he  visited  the  ladies,  he  may  come  to  see  me. 
We  had,  while  riding  together  from  Jastrzeb,  a  discussion 
which  he  has  not  forgiven  me." 

"If  he  comes  here,  do  you  give  me  carte  blanche?" 

"I  would  not  think  of  it.  Previously  I  had  propounded 
to  you  the  question  whether  if,  as  a  result  of  a  personal  en- 
counter with  you,  he  was  arrested  you  could  take  upon 
your  soul  his  destruction,  and  you  answered  'No.'  Now 
I  will  ask  you  diflferently :  If  Laskowicz,  tracked  and  pur- 
sued as  a  wild  animal,  hid  in  your  house,  would  you  not 
endeavor  to  hide  him  or  assist  him  in  escaping?" 

To  this  Krzycki  replied  in  anger,  but  without  hesitation : 

"I  would  help  him  —  the  dog's  blood." 

"Ah,  you  see!"  observed  Gronski.  "You  curse,  but 
admit.  If  they  come  to  me  for  a  contribution  —  it  is  all  the 
same  whether  with  or  without  Laskowicz  —  I  will  tell 
them  that  I  will  give  for  people  destitute  of  bread  but  will 
not  give  for  bombs,  dynamite,  and  strike  propaganda.  I 
will  tell  them  more :  that  in  collecting  contributions  for  a 
revolution  from  people  who  do  not  want  to  give  and  who 
give  only  from  fear,  they  degrade  their  own  citizens." 

"Perhaps  that  is  of  import  to  them.  The  more  the 
higher  strata  become  cowardly,  the  easier  it  will  be  for 
them." 

"That  may  be,  but  in  such  case  they  are  the  full  breth- 
ren of  all  those  who  purposely  and  of  old  have  debased 
the  community." 

And  Krzycki  pondered  and  said: 

"With  us  these  things  are  often  done  —  from  above  and 
from  below." 


224  WHIRLPOOLS. 

Gronski  glanced  at  him  with  a  certain  surprise  as  if  he 
did  not  expect  from  his  Ups  such  a  remark. 

"You  are  right,"  he  declared;  "from  above,  a  continual 
lowering  of  great  ideals,  from  below,  because  at  present 
they  are  being  directly  trampled  upon." 

"Bah !  There  remain  yet  the  solid  multitude  of  country 
peasantry," 

"Again  you  are  right,"  replied  Gronski.  "Formeriy 
Dabrowski's  March*  was  the  watchword  for  a  hundred 
thousand,  to-day  it  is  the  watchword  for  ten  millions. 
Blessed  be  folk-lore!" 

They  remained  silent.  Gronski  for  a  time  walked 
about  the  room,  taking,  according  to  his  custom,  the 
eyeglasses  off  his  nose  and  replacing  them.  After  which, 
he  said: 

"Do  you  know  what  surprises  me?  This:  that  in  such 
times  and  under  such  conditions,  people  can  think  of  their 
private  happiness  and  their  private  affairs.  But  never- 
theless such  is  the  law  of  life,  which  no  power  can  sup- 
press." 

"Have  you  me  in  mind?" 

"  In  theory,  I  am  verifying  a  fact  which  in  practice  even 
you  confirm.  For  lo,  at  this  moment  it  is  as  if  an  earth- 
quake took  place;  the  buildings  tumble,  people  perish, 
subterranean  fires  burst  forth  and  you  and  Miss  Anney 
love  each  other  and  think  of  founding  a  new  nest." 

"How  did  you  say  it?"  Krzycki  asked  with  radiant 
countenance,  "  'you  love  each  other.'" 

"I  said  'you  love  each  other,*  for  such  is  the  case.  You, 
after  all,  are  more  in  love  than  she." 

"Certainly,"  answered  Ladislaus,  "there  is  nothing 
strange  in  that;  but  what  inference  do  you  draw?" 

"This,  which  you  have  not  heretofore  either  directly 
or  indirectly  asked  and  have  not  even  tried  to  ascertain, 
1  "  Poland  is  not  yet  lost." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  225 

namely,  how  much  can  Miss  Anney  bring  to  you.  In  a 
rural  citizen  this  is  proof  that  the  thermometer  shows  the 
highest  temperature  of  love." 

"  I  give  you  my  word,  I  would  take  her  in  a  single  dress," 
answered  Krzycki. 

"But  you  would  rather  she  had  something?" 

"  I  will  answer  sincerely  that  I  would.  There  are  many 
neighbors  poorer  than  I  am  and  a  piece  of  bread  will 
never  be  lacking  to  us.  But  at  Jastrzeb  there  are  three  of 
us  —  counting  Mother,  four.  I  am  heir  of  one-fourth  and 
the  unsalaried  manager  of  the  three-fourths  belonging  to  my 
family  and  Mother.  I  would  wish  that  Jastrzeb  would 
solely  belong  to  myself  and  my  wife,  and  in  succession  to 
my  children,  if  we  have  any." 

"As  to  that,  I  have  no  doubt;  but  as  to  a  dowry,  I  am 
not  tormented  by  unnecessary  fears,"  said  Gronski. 
"Miss  Anney  lives,  travels,  dresses,  and  resides  in  com- 
fort, but  she  is  not  a  person  who  would  desire  to  create 
false  impressions.  I  assume  that  she  does  not  possess 
millions,  but  her  fortune,  particularly  in  comparison  to 
our  condition,  may  appear  even  more  considerable  than 
we  might  have  thought." 

"Let  her  have  it  or  not  have  it,"  exclaimed  Krzycki,  "if 
she  only  will  give  herself  to  me.  Whoever  possesses  that 
jewel  can  be  crowned  with  it  like  a  king." 

"  I  foresee  a  coronation  soon,"  replied  Gronski,  laughing. 


226  WHIRLPOOLS. 


IX 

On  account  of  Marynia's  birthday,  Miss  Anney  with  her 
maid  went  to  buy  flowers.  The  day  before,  Gronski  told 
her  that  he  saw  in  one  of  the  stores  ItaHan  rosy  HUes,  such 
as  are  sold  in  whole  bundles  in  the  vicinity  of  Lucca  and 
Pisa,  but  which  are  cultivated  but  little  in  the  conserva- 
tories of  Warsaw  and  seldom  imported  into  the  country. 
As  Marynia  had  inquired  about  them  with  great  curiosity. 
Miss  Anney  decided  to  purchase  for  her  all  that  could  be 
found  in  the  store.  The  previous  evening  she  bantered 
Gronski,  telling  him  that  she  would  forestall  him  in  the 
purchase,  for  he,  as  a  known  sleepy-head,  would  be  un- 
able to  leave  his  home  early  enough.  Determined  to  play 
a  joke  upon  him,  she  left  the  house  at  eight  in  the  morning, 
so  as  to  be  present  at  the  opening  of  the  store.  She  had, 
besides,  a  letter  prepared,  with  the  words  "They  are  al- 
ready bought,"  which  she  intended  to  send  to  Gronski  by 
Pauly,  and  exulted  at  the  thought  that  Gronski  would 
receive  it  at  his  morning  coffee. 

In  fact  everything  went  according  to  her  plans,  for  she 
was  the  first  buyer  at  the  store.  She  was  disappointed 
only  in  this:  that  there  were  too  few  lilies.  There  was 
only  one  flower-pot,  containing  about  a  dozen  stalks  with 
flowers.  So  the  decoration  of  Marynia's  whole  room  with 
them  was  out  of  the  question.  But  for  just  this  reason 
Miss  Anney  eagerly  bought  the  one  sample  and,  paying 
the  price  asked  for  it,  directed  that  it  be  sent  to  the  Otocka 
residence.  She  was  annoyed,  however,  when  informed  in 
the  store  that  the  gardener  delivering  flowers  could  not 


WHIRLPOOLS.  227 

come  until  noon-time,  for  she  desired  that  Marynia 
should  have  them  before  she  rose  from  bed. 

"In  that  case,"  she  said,  turning  to  Pauly,  "  call  a  hack 
and  we  will  take  the  flower-pot  with  us." 

But  Pauly,  who,  though  she  behaved  quite  indifferently 
and  even  refractorily  in  respect  to  her  mistress  and  also 
to  Pani  Otocka,  had  a  sort  of  exceptional  adoration, 
bordering  on  sympathy,  for  Marynia,  replied: 

"Let  Madame  permit  me  to  carry  these  flowers  alone. 
In  the  hack  they  will  be  shaken  up  and  may  fall  off." 

"But  you  are  to  go  with  the  letter  to  Pan  Gronski  and, 
besides,  you  will  tire  yourself  with  the  flower-pot." 

"Pan  Gronski's  residence  is  on  the  way;  and  what  if  I 
do  tire  myself  a  little  for  the  golden  little  lady.  May  I 
not  do  that  much  for  her?" 

Miss  Anney  understood  that  a  refusal  would  cause  her 
great  vexation,  therefore  she  said: 

"Very  well.  You  are  an  honest  soul.  But  if  it  should 
be  too  heavy  for  you,  take  a  hack.    I  will  go  to  church." 

And  she  went  to  church  to  pray  for  Ladislaus,  who  was 
that  day  to  leave  the  house  for  the  first  time  and  pass  the 
evening  at  Pani  Otocka's,  owing  to  Marynia's  birthday. 
She  expected  that  the  following  day  he  would  visit 
her  and  she  wanted  also  to  commit  that  day  to  divine 
protection. 

Pauline,  taking  the  lilies,  went  in  an  opposite  direc- 
tion towards  Gronski's  residence.  After  a  few  score  of 
steps  the  flower-pot  filled  with  earth  began  to  grow 
heavy;  so,  shifting  it  from  one  arm  to  the  other,  she 
thought : 

"If  it  was  for  any  one  else,  I  would  throw  everything 
upon  the  ground,  but  she  is  such  a  bird  that  it  is  hard  not 
to  love  her  —  I  would  carry  for  her  even  two  such  flower- 
pots and  I  would  not  do  her  any  harm.  —  Even  in  case  — 
he  loved  her  alone." 


228  WHIRLPOOLS. 

And  at  this  gloomy  thought  her  countenance  darkened 
yet  more.  In  her  heart,  capable  only  of  extreme  feelings, 
began  a  struggle  between  her  strange  adoration  for 
Marynia  and  her  blind  and  passionate  love  for  Krzycki; 
it  was  accompanied  by  the  terrible  and  hopeless  con- 
sciousness that  under  no  circumstance  could  he  be  hers, 
as  he  was  a  young  lord,  heir,  almost  prince  royal,  and  she 
a  simple  girl  for  sewing,  setting  the  parlor  in  order,  and 
household  work.  To  this  was  added  immediately  a  feeling 
of  a  prodigious  wrong.  Why,  she  might  have  been  born 
also  a  "little  lady"  and  not  brought  up  in  an  orphan 
asylum,  under  the  care  of  sisters  of  charity,  but  in  a  rich 
lordly  home.  Why  was  it  not  so,  instead  of  the  vile  work  of 
the  servant's  station  awaiting  her  till  death  ? 

And  here  it  occurred  to  her  mind  that  there  is  now, 
however,  a  kind  of  people,  a  kind  of  "party,"  which  wants 
to  take  away  property  from  the  rich,  distribute  it  among 
the  poor,  level  all  people,  so  that  there  will  be  no  rich  men 
and  paupers,  no  servants  and  lords,  no  wrong  of  any  kind 
in  the  world ;  and  in  the  place  thereof,  all  ranks  will  be  one 
and  the  same,  and  liberty  will  be  identical.  She  had  heard 
of  this  from  the  servants  in  the  house,  from  the  craftsmen, 
from  the  salesmen  in  the  stores  to  which  she  went  to  make 
purchases,  and  also  through  overhearing  the  conversations 
of  the  "gentility."  It  surprised  her  that  these  people  were 
called  socialists,  for  heretofore  a  "socialist"  and  a  madman 
roaming  over  the  streets  with  knife  in  hand  meant  to  her 
one  and  the  same  thing.  For  a  time  after  the  attack  upon 
Krzycki,  when  the  report  was  spread  that  the  socialists 
did  it,  she  even  felt  for  them  such  furious  and  blind  hatred 
that  she  was  willing  to  poison  them  or  bake  them  upon  live 
fires.  Later,  when  the  servants  in  Jastrzeb  began  to  repeat 
that  the  young  heir  was  waylaid  not  by  them,  but  by 
people  of  Rzeslewo,  this  hatred  became  extinguished.  But 
subsequently,  when  the  girl  learned  more  accurately  what 


WHIRLPOOLS.  229 

the  socialists  aimed  at  and  who  they  were,  she  was  but 
little  interested  in  them.  She  partly  regarded  their  ideas 
as  foolish  and  partly  thought  of  other  things  more  personal, 
and  finally,  she  distinguished  in  Poland  only  "her  own" 
and  "not  her  own,"  loving,  not  knowing  why,  the  first, 
and  hating  indiscriminately  all  the  others.  It  was  not 
until  the  last  few  days  that  it  began  to  dawn  in  her  head 
that  among  her  own  there  existed  terrible  and  painful  dif- 
ferences ;  that  for  some  there  was  wealth,  for  others  poverty ; 
that  for  a  few  there  was  enjoyment  and  for  others  toil ;  for 
some,  laughter,  for  others,  tears;  for  some,  happiness,  for 
others,  woe  and  injury. 

This  became  clear  to  her,  particularly  at  that  moment 
when  with  greater  suffering  than  ever  before  she  became 
aware  that  this  young  gentleman,  to  whom  her  soul  and 
body  were  urged,  was  simply  an  inaccessible  star,  on  which 
she  was  barely  permitted  to  gaze.  And  although  nothing 
had  happened  that  day  which  particularly  irritated  her  and 
nothing  had  altered,  she  was  possessed  by  a  despair  such  as 
she  never  felt  before. 

But  the  course  of  her  gloomy  meditations  was  finally 
interrupted  by  an  external  incident.  Notwithstanding 
the  early  hour,  she  observed  on  the  corner  of  the  precinct 
a  large  crowd  of  people,  agitated  by  some  uneasiness. 
Their  faces  were  turned  towards  the  depth  of  a  cross 
street,  as  if  something  unusual  was  taking  place  there. 
Some  rushed  forward  while  others  retreated  with  evident 
fear.  Some,  arguing  heatedly  and  pointing  at  something 
with  their  hands,  looked  upwards  to  the  roofs  of  the  houses. 
From  all  directions  flocked  new  crowds  of  workingmen  and 
striplings.  Among  the  hack-drivers  standing  on  the  corner 
an  unusual  commotion  prevailed:  the  drivers,  in  groups 
of -varying  numbers,  wheeled  their  horses  about  in  different 
directions  as  though  they  wished  to  blockade  the  street. 
Suddenly  shrill  cries  resounded  and  then  shots.     In  one 


230  WHIRLPOOLS. 

moment  an  indescribable  confusion  arose.  The  throng 
swung  to  and  fro  and  began  to  scamper;  the  cries 
sounded  shriller  and  shriller  each  moment.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  they  were  pursuing  somebody.  The  girl,  with 
her  lilies,  stood  as  if  thunderstruck,  not  knowing  what 
to  do.  Then,  suddenly  from  amidst  the  hacks,  a  man 
dashed  out,  bent  forward  with  lowered  head,  and  at  full 
speed  ran  towards  her.  On  the  way  he  flung  away  his 
cap  and  snatched  a  hat  from  the  head  of  a  stripling  who, 
understanding  the  situation  in  the  twinkle  of  an  eye, 
did  not  even  quiver.  The  hack-drivers  began  yet  more 
zealously  to  block  the  street,  evidently  with  a  view  to  make 
the  pursuit  more  difficult.  But  right  behind  them  again 
rattled  the  revolver  shots,  and  amidst  the  general  cries  and 
tumult  already  could  be  heard  the  shrill  sounds  of  the 
police  whistles  and  the  hoarse,  bellowing  shouts  of  "Catch 
him!  catch  him!"  A  blind,  excessive  fright  now  seized 
Pauly,  and  she  began  to  run,  squeezing  unconsciously  to 
her  bosom  the  flower-pot  with  the  lilies,  as  if  she  wanted 
to  save  her  own  child. 

But  she  had  barely  run  a  dozen  or  more  steps  when  a 
panting,  low  voice  began  to  cry  close  behind  her: 

"Lady,  give  me  the  flowers !  For  the  mercy  of  God, 
lady,  give  me  the  flowers  !    Save  !" 

The  girl  turned  about  suddenly  with  consternation, 
and  indescribable  amazement  was  reflected  in  her  eyes, 
for  she  recognized  Laskowicz. 

He,  having  violently  wrested  from  her  the  flower-pot, 
to  which,  not  knowing  what  she  was  doing,  she  clung  with 
all  her  strength,  whispered  further: 

"Perhaps  they  will  not  recognize  me.  I  will  tell  them 
that  I  am  a  gardener.  Save  me,  little  lady  1  Perhaps  they 
will  not  recognize.    I  am  out  of  breath !" 

She  wanted  to  run  farther  but  he  restrained  her. 

In  the  meantime,  from  among  the  chaos  of  hacks,  a 


WHIRLPOOLS.  231 

dozen  or  more  policemen  and  civil  agents  emerged.  The 
majority  of  the  mob  moved  at  a  running  pace  in  a  direc- 
tion opposite  to  the  one  in  which  Laskowicz  and  the  girl 
were  going,  and  undoubtedly  they  intentionally  moved 
that  way  in  order  to  deceive  the  pursuers.  To  better 
hoodwink  the  police,  cries  of  "Catch  him!"  resounded 
among  the  laborers.  Some  workingman  began  to  whistle 
shrilly  on  his  fingers,  imitating  the  sound  of  a  police 
whistle.  Accordingly  the  policemen  and  agents  plunged 
headlong  after  the  dense  mob.  At  the  intersection  of  the 
streets  only  a  few  stood  still,  and  these,  after  a  moment's 
irresolution,  set  off  in  the  other  direction,  but  they  ran  at 
full  speed  by  the  girl  and  the  man  with  the  light  hat,  carry- 
ing flowers.  Rushing  ahead  they  seized  a  few  working- 
men,  but  other  workingmen  rescued  them  in  a  moment. 
Pauly  and  Laskowicz  walked  farther. 

"They  missed  me,"  said  the  student.  "Here  no  one 
would  betray.  They  missed  !  Those  flowers  and  another's 
hat  fooled  them.  I  thank  you,  little  lady;  I  thank  you 
from  my  whole  soul,  and  until  my  death  I  will  never  be 
able  to  sufficiently  repay  you." 

But  she,  not  having  yet  entirely  recovered  from  her 
amazement,  began  to  ask: 

"What  happened?    Where  did  you  come  from?" 

"From  the  roof;  they  pounced  upon  us  in  a  printing 
plant.  The  others  will  get  a  year  or  two  and  nothing  more 
will  happen  to  them  —  but  for  me,  there  would  be  the 
halter." 

"How  did  you  manage  to  escape?" 

"When  we  got  on  the  roof,  I  slid  down  the  gutter-pipe. 
I  might  have  broken  my  neck.  It  was  not  until  I  reached 
the  street  that  they  observed  me.  They  fired  shots  at  me, 
but  luckily  I  was  not  hit,  for  the  blood  would  have  be- 
trayed me.  Whoever  was  alive  helped  me,  and  I  was 
hidden  by  the  hacks.     They  did  not  see  how  I  changed 


232  WHIRLPOOLS. 

a  cap  for  a  hat.  But  if  it  was  not  for  my  female  associate 
it  would  have  been  all  over  with  me." 

"What  female  associate?" 

"  I  speak  of  you,  little  lady,  thus.  Amongst  us  such  is 
the  custom." 

"Then  do  not  call  me  that,  for  I  am  no  female  associate." 

"That  is  a  pity.  But  this  is  not  the  time  to  speak  of 
that.  Once  more  I  thank  you  for  the  rescue,  though  it  is 
for  a  short  time." 

"Why  for  a  short  time?" 

"Because  I  do  not  know  what  to  do  with  myself,  where 
to  go,  and  where  to  hide.  Every  night  I  sleep  in  a  different 
place  but  they  are  seeking  for  me  everywhere." 

"That  is  true.  They  were  searching  for  you  in  Jas- 
trzeb.    Do  you  know  that  there  was  a  police-search  there  ?  " 

"Was  there?" 

"Yes.  Gendarmes,  police,  and  soldiers  came.  They 
almost  put  everybody  under  arrest." 

"  Oh,  they  would  not  arrest  them  —  " 

The  clatter  of  horses'  hoofs  and  the  rattle  of  the  horse- 
shoes over  the  stony  pavements  interrupted  for  a  while 
their  conversation.  From  a  side  street  ahead  rode  out  a 
Cossack  patrol,  consisting  of  several  scores  of  men.  They 
rode  slowly,  with  carabines  resting  upon  their  thighs  and 
looked  about  cautiously.  At  the  sight  of  them,  Pauly 
became  somewhat  pale,  while  Laskowicz  began  to  whisper : 

"That  is  nothing.  They  see  that  I  am  carrying  flowers 
from  the  store.  They  will  take  me  for  a  gardener  and  will 
ride  by." 

In  fact  they  did  pass  by. 

"They  are  now  arresting  every  moment  people  on  the 
streets  in  whole  crowds,"  said  Laskowicz.  "To  some  one 
else  that  would  be  a  small  matter ;  but  if  I  once  fall  into 
their  clutches,  I  will  never  be  able  to  get  out  again." 

"Well,  what  do  you  intend  to  do?" 


WHIRLPOOLS.  233 

"Carry  these  flowers  for  you,  little  lady." 

"And  after  that?" 

"I  do  not  know." 

"Of  course  you  must  have  some  acquaintances  who  will 
hide  you." 

"  I  have,  I  have  !  But  the  police  have  their  eyes  upon  all 
my  acquaintances.  Every  night  there  is  a  search.  For  the 
last  two  nights  I  slept  in  a  printing  establishment,  but  to- 
day they  discovered  the  printing  press." 

A  moment  of  silence  followed. 

After  which  Laskowicz  again  spoke  in  a  gloomy  voice: 

"There  is  now  no  help  for  me.  I  will  deliver  these 
flowers  and  go  wherever  my  eyes  will  take  me." 

But  in  the  heart  of  the  girl  suddenly  there  awoke  a 
great  pity  for  him.  Before  that  she  was  indifferent  to  him. 
At  present  she  only  saw  in  him  a  Polish  student  hunted, 
like  a  mad  dog,  by  people  whom  she  of  old  despised. 

Therefore  on  her  energetic  and  obstinate  countenance, 
inflexible  determination  was  depicted. 

"Come  what  may,  I  will  not  desert  you,"  she  said,  knit- 
ting her  dark  brows. 

Laskowicz  was  suddenly  seized  with  a  desire  to  kiss 
her  hand  and  would  have  done  so  if  they  were  not  on  the 
street.  He  was  moved  not  only  by  the  hope  of  escape,  but 
also  by  the  fact  that  this  girl,  who  hardly  knew  him,  who 
did  not  belong  to  his  camp,  was  ready  to  expose  herself  to 
the  greatest  dangers  in  order  to  come  to  his  aid. 

"What  can  the  little  lady  do?  Where  will  she  hide 
me?"   he  asked  quietly. 

But  she  walked  on  with  brows  knitted  by  the  strain  of 
continuous  thinking,  and  finally  said : 

"I  know.     Let  us  go." 

He  shifted  the  flower-pot  to  the  left  hand.  "I  must  tell 
you,"  he  said  with  lowered  voice,  "that  the  least  punish- 
ment for  concealing  me  is  Siberia.    I  must  tell  you  that ! 


234  WHIRLPOOLS. 

And  I  might  cause  your  destruction,  but  in  the  first 
moments  —  the  little  lady  understands  —  the  instinct  of 
preservation  —  there  was  no  time  for  reflection." 

The  little  lady  did  not  very  well  understand  what  the 
instinct  of  preservation  was,  but  instead  understood  some- 
thing else.  This  was  that  if  she  brought  him,  as  she  in- 
tended, to  Gronski's,  she  would  expose  to  danger  not  only 
Gronski  but  also  Krzycki. 

And  under  the  influence  of  this  thought  she  stood  as  if 
stupefied. 

"In  such  a  case,  I  do  not  know  what  I  can  do,"  she  said. 

"Ah,  you  see,  little  lady,"  answered  the  student,  as  if  in 
sorrow,  while  she,  on  her  part,  again  began  to  rack  her 
brains.  It  never  occurred  to  her  to  conduct  Laskowicz 
to  Miss  Anney's  or  Pani  Otocka's.  She  felt  that  here 
masculine  help  was  necessary  and  that  it  was  imperative 
to  find  some  one  who  would  not  fear  and  for  whom  she, 
herself,  did  not  care.  Therefore  she  mentally  reviewed 
the  whole  array  of  Miss  Anney's  and  Pani  Otocka's  ac- 
quaintances. —  Pan  Dolhanski  ?  No !  —  He  might  be 
afraid  or  else  send  them  to  the  devil  and  sneer  at  them. 
Dr.  Szremski  ?  He  had  probably  left  the  city.  Ah,  were 
it  not  for  this  "young  lord"  she  would  conduct  this 
poor  fellow  to  Pan  Gronski,  for  even  if  he  did  not  receive 
him,  at  the  worst  he  would  give  good  advice,  or  would 
direct  them  to  somebody.  And  suddenly  it  came  to  her 
mind  that  if  Siberia  threatened  the  person  who  concealed 
Laskowicz,  Pan  Gronski  would  not  direct  them  to  any- 
body ;  but  if  he  could,  he  would  direct  them  to  only  one 
man,  whom  she  also  knew.  And  on  this  thought,  she  dusted 
her  dress  with  her  hands  and,  turning  to  Laskowicz,  said : 

"I  know  now  !    Let  us  try." 

After  which,  standing  for  a  while,  she  continued : 

"Let  us  enter  this  house,  here,  at  once.  You  will  wait 
with  the  flowers  in  the  hallway  and  I  will  deliver  the  letter 


WHIRLPOOLS.  235 

upstairs  and  return.  Do  not  fear  anything,  for  the  door- 
keeper here  knows  me  and  he  is  a  good  man.  After  that  I 
may  lead  you  somewhere." 

Saying  this,  she  entered  the  gate  and,  leaving  Laskowicz 
below,  rang,  after  a  moment,  Gronski's  bell. 

Gronski,  rising  that  day  earlier  than  usual,  was  already 
dressed  and  sat  with  Krzycki  having  tea.  When  Pauly 
handed  him  the  letter,  he  read  it  and,  laughing,  showed 
it  to  Ladislaus;  after  which  he  rose  and  went  to  his  writ- 
ing desk  to  write  an  answer.  During  this  time  Ladislaus 
began  to  question  her  about  the  health  of  his  mother  and 
the  younger  ladies. 

"I  thank  you,  the  ladies  are  well,  but  my  lady  has 
already  gone  down  town." 

"So  early?  And  is  not  your  lady  afraid  to  go  alone 
about  the  city?" 

"My  lady  went  with  me  and  bought  flowers  for  Panna 
Marynia  and  after  that  she  went  to  church." 

"To  what  church  did  she  go?" 

"I  do  not  know." 

Panna  Pauly  knew  well,  but  she  was  hurt  by  his  asking 
her  about  her  mistress ;  while  he,  conjecturing  this,  ceased 
to  question  her  further,  for  he  had  previously  resolved  to 
converse  with  her  as  little  as  possible. 

So,  silence  —  a  little  embarrassing  —  ensued  between 
them,  and  continued  until  Gronski  returned  with  the  letter. 

"Here is  the  answer,"  he  said;  "let  the  little  lady  bow 
for  us  to  the  ladies  and  say  that  to-day  we  both  will  be 
there,  for  Pan  Krzycki's  imprisonment  is  now  ended." 

"I  thank  you,"  replied  Pauly,  "but  I  have  yet  a 
favor,  —  I  would  like  to  learn  the  address  of  Pan 
Swidwicki?" 

Gronski  looked  at  her  with  astonishment. 

"Did  the  ladies  request  you  to  ask?" 

"No  —  I  just  wanted  to  know  —  " 


236  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"Panna  Pauly,"  said  Gronski,  "Pan  Swidwicki  lives  at 
No.  5  Oboznej,  but  it  is  not  very  safe  for  young  girls  to 
go  to  him." 

She  colored  to  the  ears  from  fear  that  the  "young 
lord"  might  think  something  bad  about  her. 

And  she  hesitated  for  a  while  whether  she  should  tell 
that  Laskowicz  was  in  the  hallway  and  that  it  was  neces- 
sary to  hide  him,  as  otherwise  destruction  awaited  him. 
But  again  she  recollected  that  Laskowicz  had  been  sought 
in  Jastrzeb  and  that  Krzycki,  on  account  of  that  had  been 
almost  arrested.  A  fear  possessed  her  that  perhaps  Gronski 
himself  might  want  to  hide  the  student  and  in  such  case 
would  jeopardize  the  young  lord.  She  looked  once  or 
twice  at  the  shapely  form  of  Krzycki  and  decided  to  re- 
main silent. 

But  Gronski  spoke  further: 

"I  do  not  advise  you  to  go  to  him.  I  do  not  advise  it. 
It  is  said  that  you  once  gave  him  a  tongue-lashing." 

And  she,  raising  her  head,  answered  at  once  haughtily 
and  indignantly: 

"Then  I  will  give  him  a  tongue-lashing  a  second  time; 
but  I  have  some  business  with  him." 

And  bowing,  she  left.  Gronski  shrugged  his  shoulders 
and  said: 

"I  cannot  understand  what  she  is  concerned  about. 
There  is  something  strange  in  that  girl,  and  I  tell  you  that 
your  future  lady  gives  evidence  of  holy  patience,  that  she 
has  not  dismissed  her  before  this.  She  always  says  that 
she  is  a  violent  character  but  has  a  golden  heart,  and  that 
may  be  possible.  I  know,  however,  from  Pani  Otocka 
that  the  golden  heart  enacts  for  her  such  scenes  as  no  one 
else  would  tolerate." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  237 


X 

In  the  evening  of  Marynia's  birthday,  Ladislaus  and  Miss 
Anney  for  a  time  found  themselves  at  some  distance  from 
the  rest  of  the  company,  at  a  cottage  piano,  decorated  with 
flowers.  His  eyes  shone  with  joy  and  happiness.  He  felt 
fortunate  that  his  imprisonment  had  ended  and  that  he 
could  again  gaze  upon  this,  his  lady,  whom  he  loved  with 
the  whole  strength  of  a  young  heart. 

"I  know,"  he  told  her,  "that  you  were  this  morning  in 
the  city  and  bought  flowers.  I  learned  this  from  your 
maid,  who  brought  the  letter  to  Pan  Gronski.  Afterwards 
you  went  to  church.  I  asked  her  to  which  one,  as  I  wanted 
to  go  there,  but  the  maid  did  not  know." 

"That  is  strange,  for  she  knows  that  I  always  go  to  the 
Holy  Cross,  and  at  times  I  even  take  her  with  me.  I  am 
there,  daily,  at  the  morning  mass." 

"She  told  me  that  she  did  not  know,"  answered  Ladis- 
laus.   "Will  you  be  there  to-morrow?" 

"Yes ;  unless  the  weather  should  be  very  inclement." 

Ladislaus  lowered  his  voice : 

"I  ask  because  I  have  a  great  and  heartfelt  prayer. 
Permit  me  to  come  there  at  the  same  hour  and  before  the 
same  altar." 

Blushes  suffused  Miss  Anney's  countenance  and  her 
breast  began  to  move  more  quickly.  She  inclined  her  head 
somewhat  and  placing  the  edge  of  the  fan  to  her  lips 
answered  in  a  low  voice: 

"I  have  not  the  right  to  forbid  nor  to  permit.  The 
church  is  open  to  all  the  pious." 

"Yes.     But   I   want   to   kneel   a  while  beside  you  — 


238  WHIRLPOOLS. 

together,  and  not  with  customary  humility;  but  for  a 
special  purpose.  As  to  my  piety,  I  will  candidly  state  that 
I  believe  in  God,  ah !  especially  now  —  I  believe  in  God 
and  in  His  goodness ;  but  heretofore  I  have  not  been  very 
pious  —  just  like  all  others.  When,  however,  a  whole 
life  is  concerned,  then  even  a  man,  totally  unbelieving,  is 
ready  to  kneel  and  pray.  To  kneel  beside  you,  that  alone 
is  an  immense  boon,  for  it  is  as  if  one  had  beside  him  an 
angel.  And  I  want  to  beg  for  something  else:  and  that 
is  that  we  should  together,  at  the  same  time,  say  'Under 
Thy  protection  we  flee,  Holy  Mother  of  God."* 

Ladislaus  became  pale  from  emotion  and  on  his  fore- 
head beads  of  perspiration  appeared.  For  a  time  he  re- 
mained silent,  to  permit  the  too  violent  beating  of  his 
heart  to  subside.    After  which  he  again  spoke : 

"'We  flee'  —  that  will  mean  us  both.  Nothing  more, 
dear,  dearest  lady,  nothing  more.  After  that  I  will  go, 
and  in  the  afternoon,  if  you  permit,  I  will  come  to  your 
residence  and  will  tell  you  everything  which  has  collected 
within  me  from  the  time  I  first  saw  you  in  Jastrzeb.  In 
your  hands,  lady,  lies  my  fate,  but  I  must,  I  must  divulge 
it  all;  otherwise  my  bosom  will  burst.  But  if  you,  lady, 
will  agree  to  a  joint  prayer  of  'Under  Thy  protection,' 
before  that  time,  then  I  shall  be  so  happy  that  I  do  not 
know  how  I  will  survive  until  to-morrow." 

And  she  looked  at  him  guilelessly  and  straight  in  his 
eyes  with  the  celestial  streak  of  the  hazy  pupils  of  her 
eyes  and  answered: 

"Come  to  church  to-morrow." 

And  Ladislaus  whispered: 

"And  not  to  be  able  to  fall  at  your  feet  at  this  moment  — 
not  to  be  able  to  fall  at  your  feet !" 

But  Miss  Anney  tapped  lightly,  as  if  reluctantly,  his 
hand,  resting  on  the  piano  with  her  own,  which  was  in- 
cased in  a  white  glove,  and  walked  away,  for,  not  forgetting 


WHIRLPOOLS.  239 

herself  to  the  same  extent  as  Ladislaus,  she  noticed  that 
they  were  observed.  Owing  to  Marynia's  birthday  there 
assembled  that  evening  at  Pani  Otocka's  quite  a  consider- 
able gathering  of  acquaintances.  The  notary,  Dzwon- 
kowski,  appeared;  also,  an  old  neighbor  from  the  vi- 
cinity of  Zalesin ;  and  besides  these  Dolhanski  and  both 
Wlocek  ladies,  who  after  a  previous  exchange  of  visits, 
were  invited  by  Pani  Otocka.  Gronski  actually  appeared 
the  earliest  and  well  nigh  played  the  role  of  host,  in  which 
part  he  was  assisted  by  the  former  teacher  of  Marynia,  the 
violinist  Bochener,  not  less  in  love  with  her,  and  finally 
Swidwicki,  who  on  that  day  was  exceptionally  sober.  Pani 
Otocka  was  occupied  with  the  Wlocek  ladies ;  Gronski  con- 
versed with  Swidwicki  in  so  far  as  he  did  not  direct  his 
eyes  after  Marynia,  who,  in  her  white  dress,  adorned  with 
violets,  slender,  almost  lithesome,  actually  looked  like  an 
alabaster  statuette.  But  she,  and  with  her  Pani  Krzycki, 
began  to  look  with  especial  attention  at  Ladislaus  and  Miss 
Anney.  The  little  ears  of  Marynia  reddened  from  curios- 
ity, while  on  Pani  Krzycki' s  countenance  there  appeared 
uneasiness,  and,  as  if  it  were,  a  shadow  of  dissatisfaction. 

But  Miss  Anney,  breaking  off  her  conversation  with 
Ladislaus,  approached  directly  towards  his  mother  and 
sat  down  in  a  chair  beside  her. 

"Pan  Ladislaus  is  so  happy,"  she  said,  "that  his  con- 
finement is  ended." 

"I  see,"  answered  Pani  Krzycki,  "but  I  fear  that  con- 
versation fatigues  him  yet.  What  did  he  say  to  you  with 
such  animation?" 

For  a  moment.  Miss  Anney  inclined  her  head  and  be- 
gan to  smooth  out  with  her  fingers  the  folds  of  her  bright 
dress  as  if  troubled,  but  later,  having  evidently  formed  a 
sudden  resolution,  she  raised  her  frank  eyes  straight  at 
Pani  Krzycki,  just  as  she  had  previously  at  Ladislaus,  and 
replied : 


240  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"He  said  such  pleasant  and  loving  things;  that  he 
wants  to  go  to  church  to-morrow  and  say  'Under  Thy 
protection'  —  together  with  me  —  " 

In  her  eyes  there  were  no  interrogatories,  nor  uneasi- 
ness, nor  challenge,  but  great  goodness  and  truth. 

Pani  Krzycki,  on  the  other  hand,  was  put  out  of  counte- 
nance by  the  candor  of  the  reply,  so  that  at  first  she  was 
silent.  It  seemed  to  her  that  what  heretofore  was  a  doubt- 
ful, blurred,  and  indistinct  supposition,  lightened  up  and 
plainly  emerged  upon  the  surface,  but  she  tried  to  dis- 
believe it;   so,  after  a  certain  hesitation,  she  replied: 

"Laudie  otherwise  would  be  ungrateful.  He  owes  you 
so  much  —  and  I  also." 

Miss  Anney  understood  perfectly  that  Pani  Krzycki 
wanted  to  give  her  to  understand  that  the  motive  of  Ladis- 
laus'  words  was  only  gratitude,  but  she  had  no  time  to 
reply  to  the  remark,  as  at  that  time  across  the  arm  of  her 
chair  the  slender  form  of  Marynia  was  leaning: 

"Aninka,  may  I  trouble  you  to  step  over  here  for  a 
moment?" 

"Certainly,"  answered  Miss  Anney. 

And  rising,  she  left.  Pani  Krzycki  eyed  her  and  sighed. 
There  was  in  that  beautiful  form  so  much  youth,  health, 
radiance,  so  many  golden  tresses,  glances,  so  much  bloom, 
warmth,  and  womanly  fascination,  that  an  older  and 
experienced  woman,  like  Pani  Krzycki,  was  forced  to 
admit  in  her  soul  that  it  would  have  been  rather  incom- 
prehensible if  Ladislaus  had  remained  indifferent  to  all 
those  charms. 

And  sighing  for  the  second  time,  she  thought: 

"Why  did  Zosia  bring  her  to  Jastrzeb?" 

And  she  began  to  seek  with  her  eyes  Pani  Otocka,  who 
at  that  moment  was  approaching  the  door  to  greet  an 
elderly  gentleman  with  a  white  leonine  mane  and  the  same 
kind  of  white  beard  who,  evidently  being  almost  blind, 


WHIRLPOOLS.  241 

stood  on  the  threshold  and  gazed  over  the  salon  through 
his  gold-rimmed  spectacles. 

Finally  espying  Pani  Otocka,  he  seized  both  her  hands 
and  commenced  to  kiss  them  with  great  ardor,  while  she 
greeted  him  with  that  shy  grace,  peculiarly  her  own, 
which  made  her  resemble  a  young  village  maid. 

"How  sweet  she  is  and  how  lovable!"  Pani  Krzycki 
said  to  herself. 

But  her  further  meditations  and  regrets  were  inter- 
rupted by  Swidwicki,  who,  taking  the  chair  vacated  by 
Miss  Anney,  said: 

"But  your  son,  benefactress,  is  a  genuine  Uhlan  from 
under  Somo-Sierra.  What  a  race  !  what  a  type  I  I,  who 
everywhere  fancy  beauty  as  a  setter  does  partridges,  ob- 
served this  at  once  to  Gronski.  Only  put  a  sabre  in  his 
hand  and  place  him  on  horseback.  Or  at  some  exhibition  ! 
plainly  on  exhibition,  as  a  notable  specimen  of  the  race. 
Ah,  what  blood  with  milk  1  The  women  must  rave  over 
him  I" 

Pani  Krzycki,  notwithstanding  her  internal  worries, 
was  pleased  to  hear  these  words,  for  Ladislaus'  shapeli- 
ness was  from  his  childhood  days  a  source  of  pride  and 
joy  for  her.  But  in  reality,  she  did  not  deem  it  proper  to 
admit  this  before  Swidwicki. 

"I  do  not  attach  any  importance  to  that,"  she  answered, 
"  and  I  thank  God  that  it  is  not  the  only  thing  that  can  be 
said  of  my  son." 

And  Swidwicki  snapped  his  jfingers  and  said : 

"You  do  attach  importance  to  it,  madame,  you  do,  and 
so  do  I,  and  those  ladies  only  pretend  that  they  do  not  — 
that  young  Englishwoman  as  well  as  even  that  translucent 
little  porcelain  maid;  though  apparently  she  thinks  of 
nought  but  music.  .  .  .  Perhaps  the  least  of  all  Pani 
Zosia,  but  only  because  from  a  certain  time  she  too  sed- 
ulously reads  Plato." 


242  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"Zosia — Plato!"  exclaimed  Pani  Krzycki. 

"I  suspect  so,  and  even  am  certain  for  otherwise  she 
would  not  be  so  Platonic." 

"Why,  she  is  not  versed  in  Greek." 

"But  Gronski  is,  and  he  can  translate  for  her." 

Pani  Krzycki  gazed  with  astonishment  at  Swidwicki 
and  broke  off  the  conversation.  Becoming  acquainted 
with  him  only  that  evening  and  having  no  idea  that  he 
was  a  man  who,  for  a  quip,  for  a  wretched  play  on  words 
and  from  habit,  was  ready  always  and  everywhere  to  talk 
stuff  and  nonsense  in  the  most  reckless  manner,  she 
could  not  understand  why  he  said  that  to  her.  Neverthe- 
less his  words  were  for  her,  as  it  were,  a  ray  illuminating 
things  which  heretofore  she  had  not  observed.  She  found 
new  proofs  that  her  heartfelt  and  secret  wishes  would  al- 
ways remain  a  dream  without  substance  —  and  she  sighed 
for  the  third  time. 

"Ah,  then  it  is  so,"  she  thought  to  herself  in  her  soul. 

"Yes,  yes,"  Swidwicki  continued.  "My  cousin  is  very 
Platonic  and  in  addition  a  trifle  anaemic." 

In  his  laughter  there  was  a  kind  of  bitterness  and  even 
malice,  so  that  Pani  Krzycki  again  looked  at  him  with 
astonishment. 

In  the  meantime  Marynia  led  Miss  Anney  to  another 
chamber.  Her  ears  each  moment  became  redder  and  her 
eyes  sparkled  with  a  perfectly  childish  curiosity.  So  press- 
ing her  little  nose  to  Miss  Anney's  cheek,  she  began  to 
whisper: 

"Tell  me!  Did  he  propose  to  you  at  the  piano?  Did 
he  propose?     Tell  me  now." 

And  Miss  Anney,  embraced  her  neck  with  her  arms  and 
kissing  her  cordially,  whispered  in  her  ear: 

"Almost." 

"What?  —  at  the  piano!  I  guessed  it  at  once!  Ho, 
ho !  I  am  thoroughly  conversant  with  such  matters.  But 
how  was  that?    Almost?    How,  almost?" 


WHIRLPOOLS.  243 

"For  I  know  that  he  loves  me — " 

"Laudie?     What  did  he  say  to  you?" 

"He  did  not  even  have  to  say  it." 

"I  understand,  I  understand  perfectly." 

Miss  Anney,  though  her  eyes  were  moist,  began  to 
laugh,  and,  hugging  the  little  violinist  again,  said : 

"Let  us  now  return  to  the  salon." 

"Let  us  return,"  answered  Marynia. 

On  the  way  she  said  with  delighted  countenance: 

"You  and  Zosia,  thought  that  I  saw  nothing,  and  I  — 
oho!" 

In  the  salon  they  chanced  upon  a  political  discussion. 
The  tall  elderly  gentleman  with  the  white  mane,  who  was 
a  colleague  and  friend  of  the  late  Otocki  and  at  the  same 
time  editor  of  one  of  the  principal  dailies  in  Warsaw,  said : 

"  They  think  that  this  is  a  new  state  of  affairs,  which 
henceforth  is  bound  to  continue,  but  it  is  an  attack 
of  hysteria,  after  which  exhaustion  and  prostration  will 
follow.  I  have  lived  long  in  the  world  and  often  have  wit- 
nessed similar  phenomena.  Yes,  it  is  so.  It  is  a  stupid 
and  wicked  revolution." 

If  Swidwicki  had  heard  from  some  madman  that  this 
was  a  wise  and  salutary  revolution,  he  undoubtedly  would 
have  been  of  the  opinion  of  the  old  editor,  but,  as  he  es- 
teemed lightly  journalists  in  general,  he  was  particularly 
angered  at  the  thought  that  the  amiable  old  gentleman 
passed  in  certain  circles  as  a  political  authority;  so  he 
began  at  once  to  dispute. 

"Only  the  bottomless  naivete  of  the  conservatives," 
he  said,  "is  capable  of  demanding  from  a  revolution 
reason  and  goodness.  It  is  the  same  as  demanding,  for 
instance,  of  a  conflagration  that  it  should  be  gentle  and 
sensible.  Every  revolution  is  the  child  of  the  passions  — 
unreason  and  rage  —  and  not  of  love.  Its  aim  is  to  blow 
up  the  old  forms  of  folly  and  evil  and  forcibly  introduce  into 
life  the  new." 


244  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"And  how  do  you  picture  to  yourself  the  new?" 

"  In  reality  as  also  foolish  and  wicked  —  but  new.  Upon 
such  transitions  our  history  is  based,  and  even  the  annals 
of  mankind  in  general." 

"That  is  the  philosophy  of  despair." 

"Or  of  laughter." 

"If  of  laughter,  then  it  is  egoism." 

"Yes,  that  is  so.  My  partisanship  begins  with  me  and 
ends  with  me." 

Gronski  impatiently  smacked  his  lips ;  while  the  editor 
took  off  his  spectacles  and,  winking  with  his  eyes,  began  to 
wipe  them  with  a  handkerchief. 

"I  beg  pardon,"  he  said  with  great  phlegm.  "Your 
party  affiliations  may  be  very  interesting  but  I  wanted  to 
speak  of  others." 

"  Less  interesting  —  " 

But  the  old  journalist  turned  to  Gronski. 

"Our  socialists,"  he  said,  "have  undertaken  the  re- 
construction of  a  new  house,  forgetting  that  we  live  huddled 
together  in  only  a  few  rooms,  and  that  in  the  others  dwell 
strangers  who  will  not  assent  to  it;  or  rather,  on  the  con- 
trary, they  will  permit  the  demolition  of  those  few  rooms, 
but  will  not  allow  their  reconstruction." 

"Then  it  is  better  to  blow  up  the  whole  structure  with 
dynamite,"  interjected  Swidwicki. 

But  this  remark  was  passed  over  in  silence;  after  which 
Gronski  said: 

"One  thing  directly  astonishes  me,  and  that  is  that  the 
conservatives  turn  with  the  greatest  rage  not  against  the 
revolutionists,  but  against  the  national  patriots,  who  do 
not  desire  a  revolution  and  who  alone  have  sufficient 
strength  to  prevent  it.  I  understand  that  a  foreign  bureau- 
cracy does  this,  but  why  should  our  patres  conscripti 
clear  the  way  in  this  for  them?" 

The  editor  replaced  the  spectacles,  wetted  his  finger  in 


WHIRLPOOLS.  245 

the  tea  seeking  the  cup,  afterwards  raised  it  to  his  lips, 
drank,  and  replied: 

"The  reason  of  that  is  their  greater  blindness  and 
sense." 

"Please  explain  1"  exclaimed  Swidwicki,  who  was  a 
little  impressed  by  this  reply. 

And  the  neighbor  from  Zalesin,  who  eagerly  listened  to 
the  words  of  the  journalist,  asked : 

"How  is  that,  sir  benefactor?    I  do  not  understand." 

"Yes,  it  is  so,"  answered  the  editor.  "Their  greater 
blindness  is  due  to  the  narrower  horizon,  to  the  lack  of 
ability  to  look  ahead  into  the  future,  into  those  times  and 
ages  which  are  yet  to  come,  for  which  it  is  a  hundred  times 
more  important  that  the  great  Sacred  Fire  ^  should  not  be 
extinguished  than  that  any  immediate  paltry  benefits 
should  be  obtained.  It  is  necessary  to  have  a  sense  of 
coming  events,  and  this  they  do  not  possess.  They  are  a 
little  like  Esau  who  relinquished  his  heritage  for  a  pot  of 
lentils.  And  for  us  it  is  not  allowable  to  relinquish  any- 
thing. Absolutely  nothing!  On  the  other  hand,  when 
concerned  about  isolated  moments,  about  ranks  and  con- 
nections in  a  given  instant  of  time,  the  conservatives  are  a 
hundred  times  more  sensible,  adroit  —  commit  far  less 
errors  in  details  and  view  matters  more  soberly.  I  speak 
of  this  with  entire  impartiality  for  I  myself  am  a  non- 
partisan." 

"  Who  is  right  neither  in  the  present  time  nor  will  be  in 
the  future,"  interposed  Swidwicki.  "After  all,  I  agree  that 
the  difference  between  the  views  of  politicians  favoring 
reconciliation  and  sentimental  patriots  and  zealots  in  gen- 
eral lies  in  this,  that  from  political  moderation  you  can 
immediately  coin  money,  though  at  times  counterfeit, 
but  from  sentimental  politics,  —  only  in  the  future.  His- 
tory confirms  at  every  stage  that  what  one  hundred,  fifty, 
*  Referring  to  the  Sacred  Fire  of  pagan  Lithuanians. 


246  WHIRLPOOLS. 

or  twenty  years  ago  appeared  to  be  political  or  social  in- 
sanity, to-day  has  entered  into  being.  And  it  will  be  ever 
thus  in  the  further  course  of  time." 

"That  may  be,"  said  Gronski,  "but  it  is  only  just  so  far 
as  radicalism  of  ideas  or  the  furies  of  feeling  do  not  strike 
terror  in  a  great,  stupid,  immediate  act.  For  if  this  occurs 
a  crime  is  perpetrated,  and  error  is  born  which  menaces  the 
future.    This  happens  frequently." 

"And  I  assume  that  this  is  just  what  the  conservatives 
fear,"  answered  the  journalist,  "an  excessively  warm 
patriotism  —  and  it  must  be  admitted,  often  improvident 
and  absurd  in  its  manifestations  —  strikes  them  with  terror. 
Formerly  they  feared  that  the  peasants,  who  read  'The 
Pole'  might  take  to  their  scythes.  At  present  they  have 
gooseflesh  when  some  zealot  breaks  out  with  a  word  about 
the  future  kingdom  of  Poland." 

"Kingdom  of  Poland  !"  said  Swidwicki,  snorting  iron- 
ically. "I  will  tell  you  gentlemen  an  anecdote.  A  certain 
Russian  official  became  insane  and  suffered  from  a  mania 
of  greatness.  In  reality  his  delusion  lay  in  this,  that  he  at- 
tained the  highest  position  in  heaven  as  well  as  on  earth. 
And  whom  do  you  suppose  that  he  imagined  himself  to  be  ?" 

"Well!    God?" 

"More." 

"I  confess  that  my  imagination  reels,"  answered  Gronski. 

"  Ah,  you  see !  In  the  meantime  he  invented  a  position 
still  higher,  for  he  represented  himself  as  the  'presiding 
officer'  of  the  Holy  Trinity.  Understand?  That  there 
was  a  committee  consisting  of  God,  the  Father,  the  Son, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost  —  and  he  was  its  chairman.  Is  not 
that  more?" 

"True,  but  why  do  you  cite  that  anecdote?" 

"As  a  proof  that  for  diseased  brains  there  are  no  im- 
possibilities and  that  only  such  brains  can  think  of  a  king- 
dom of  Poland." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  247 

Gronski  remained  silent  for  a  while,  and  then  said : 
"Twenty  millions  of  people  are  something  tangible,  and 
permit  me  to  say  that  the  chairmanship  of  the  Holy  Trin- 
ity is  a  greater  impossibility.  What  do  you  know  about 
the  future  and  who  can  divine  it  ?  The  most  you  can  say 
is  that  in  view  of  the  present  conditions  the  thought  of 
creating  anything  like  it  by  force,  through  revolution, 
would  be  a  mistake,  and  even  a  crime.  But  our  nation 
will  be  devoured  only  when  it  allows  itself  to  be  devoured. 
But  if  it  does  not?  If  through  great  and  noble  efforts  it 
shall  bring  forth  enlightenment,  social  discipline,  pros- 
perity, science,  literature,  art,  wealth,  sanitation,  a  quiet 
internal  strength,  then  what?  And  who  to-day  can  tell 
what  shape  in  the  future  the  political  and  social  condi- 
tions will  assume?  Who  can  vouch  that  the  systems  of 
government  of  the  present  day  may  not  entirely  change, 
that  they  will  not  fall  and  will  not  be  adjudged  as  idiotic 
and  criminal  as  to-day  we  regard  tortures?  Who  can 
divine  what  governments  will  arise  in  that  great  sea  which 
is  humanity  ?  The  man  who,  for  instance,  in  the  time  of 
Cicero  would  have  said  that  social  economy  could  exist 
without  slavery  would  have  been  deemed  crazy,  and, 
nevertheless,  to-day  slavery  does  not  exist.  And  in  our 
political  relations  something  similar  might  take  place. 
To-day's  conditions  of  coercion  might  change  into  volun- 
tary and  free  unions.  I  do  not  know  whether  it  will  be  so, 
but  you  do  not  know  that  it  will  not  be  so.  In  view  of  this, 
I  see  the  necessity  of  quiet  and  iron  labor,  but  I  do  not  see 
the  necessity  of  the  repudiation  or  renunciation  of  any 
ideals  —  and  I  will  tell  you  too  that  the  Pole  who  does 
not  bear  that  great  ideal,  at  the  bottom  of  his  soul,  is  in  a 
measure  a  renegade;  and  I  do  not  understand  why  he 
does  not  renounce  everything." 

"Write  that  in  verse  and  in  Latin,"  answered  Swid- 
wicki  with  impatience,  "for  in  that  manner  you  will  upset 
the  heads  of  a  less  number  of  men." 


248  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"Then  our  present  day  antagonists  may  themselves  say 
to  us :  'Arrange  matters  to  suit  yourselves.'  At  the  present 
moment  it  may  seem  a  naive  fancy,  but  the  future  carries 
in  its  bosom  such  surprises,  as  not  only  the  shortsighted 
politicians  have  not  dreamed  of,  but  even  philosophers  who 
can  look  ahead." 

After  which,  having  evidently  suflBcient  of  this  discus- 
sion, he  added: 

"  But  enough  of  this.  I  suspend  the  argument  and  pause. 
To-day  we  must  occupy  ourselves  not  with  politics,  but 
with  the  young  lady  whose  birthday  we  celebrate  and 
whom  undoubtedly  such  things  weary." 

Saying  this,  he  turned  to  Marynia,  standing  at  Miss 
Anney's  side,  but  she,  shaking  her  little  head,  replied  at 
once  with  great  ardor: 

"On  the  contrary!  I  am  of  the  same  opinion  as  Pan 
Gronski." 

And  she  blushed  to  her  ears,  for  all  began  to  laugh, 
while  Swidwicki  replied: 

"If  that  is  so,  then  everything  is  settled." 

Ladislaus  smiled  at  Marynia's  embarrassment,  though 
in  truth  he  did  not  know  what  it  all  was  about,  as  his  whole 
soul  surged  in  his  enamoured  eyes,  gazing  at  Miss  Anney. 
She  stood  between  two  chairs,  calm,  smiling,  white  in  her 
light  dress,  cheery  as  the  summer  dawn,  and  only  after  the 
close  of  the  discussion  rosier  than  usual,  and  he  plainly 
devoured  her  with  his  gaze.  His  thoughts  and  heart  raged 
within  him.  He  looked  at  her  radiant  countenance,  on 
her  bare  arms,  chiseled  as  if  out  of  warm  marble,  at  her 
developed  strong  breast,  on  the  sinuous  pliant  lines  of 
her  figure,  on  her  knees  turned  towards  him  and  outlined 
under  her  light  dress,  and  he  was  seized  by  a  whirlwind  of 
desires,  which  struggled  with  the  feeling  of  worship  and  re- 
spect which  he  entertained  for  this  maiden,  pure  as  a  tear. 
His  pulse  commenced  to  beat  strangely  and  on  his  fore- 


WHIRLPOOLS.  249 

head  appeared  a  braid  of  veins.  At  the  thought  that  she 
was  to  be  his  wife  and  that  all  these  treasures  would  be 
his,  he  was  enveloped  by  a  fire  of  blood,  and  at  the  same 
time  by  some  kind  of  debility  so  great  that  at  times  he  was 
uncertain  whether  he  would  be  able  to  lift  the  chair.  At 
the  same  time  he  quarrelled  with  himself.  He  became  in- 
dignant from  his  whole  soul  at  that  "animal"  which  he 
could  not  subdue  within  himself,  and  upbraided  himself 
to  the  last  words  because  he  did  not  love  her  —  "that 
angel"  —  as  he  should  love  her,  that  is  with  the  love  which 
only  kneels  and  idolizes.  So,  in  thought,  he  fell  on  his 
knees  before  his  loved  one,  embraced  her  limbs,  and  im- 
plored forgiveness,  but  when  he  imagined  that  his  lips 
kissed  her  feet,  again  lust  seized  him  by  the  hair.  And  in 
this  struggle  he  felt  not  only  unworthy  of  her,  not  only 
"a  beast,"  but  at  the  same  time  a  half-baked  and  ludicrous 
blunderer,  deprived  of  that  reason,  peace,  and  self-control 
which  a  true  man  should  possess. 

He  was  also  possessed  by  astonishment  that  everything 
which  could  promise  delight  should  also  at  the  same  time 
torment  him.  Fortunately,  his  further  torments  and  medi- 
tations were  interrupted  by  music,  with  which  an  evening 
at  Pani  Otocka's  had  to  conclude.  Bochener  sat  at  the 
piano,  the  irascible  notary  began  to  blow  in  his  flute,  and 
Marynia  stood  aside  with  the  violin,  and  if  those  present 
were  not  accustomed  to  the  sight  of  her,  they  would  have 
been  astonished  at  the  change  which  took  place  in  her. 
The  beautiful  but  childish  face  of  a  delighted  and  inquisi- 
tive girl  assumed  in  a  single  moment  an  expression  of 
gravity  and  profound  calm.  Her  eyes  became  thoughtful 
and  sad.  On  the  red  background  of  the  salon  her  slim 
form  appeared  like  a  design  of  the  best  style  on  a  painted 
church  window.  There  was  something  in  her  plainly 
hieratic. 

A  trio  began.    The  gentle  tones  began  to  rock  Ladis- 


250  WHIRLPOOLS. 

laus'  agitated  soul.  His  senses  gradually  fell  asleep  and 
his  desires  were  extinguished.  His  love  metamorphosed 
into  a  great  winged  angel  who  carried  his  loved  one  in 
his  anns  as  if  a  child,  and  soared  with  her  in  the  immeasur- 
able space  before  an  altar  composed  of  the  lustre  of  the 
evening  twilight  and  the  nocturnal  lights  of  stars. 

The  hour  was  late,  when  Gronski,  Swidwicki,  and 
Ladislaus  left  Pani  Otocka's.  On  the  streets  they  met 
few  pedestrians,  but  every  few  paces,  they  encountered 
the  military  and  police  patrol,  which  stopped  them  and 
asked  for  passports.  This  time  Swidwicki  did  not  pre- 
tend to  be  intoxicated,  for  he  fell  into  a  bad  humor  just  be- 
cause at  Pani  Otocka's  he  had  to  content  himself  with  two 
glasses  of  wine.  So,  showing  the  policeman  the  passport, 
he  pointed  to  his  dress-suit  and  white  cravat  and  asked 
them  surlily  whether  socialists  or  bandits  dressed  in  that 
manner. 

"If  only  lightning  would  smite  the  one  and  the  other," 
he  said,  striking  the  sidewalk  with  his  cane.  "In  addition, 
everything  is  closed,  not  only  the  restaurants  in  the  hotels, 
but  even  the  pharmacies,  in  which  in  an  extreme  case,  vin 
de  coca  or  alcohol  can  be  procured.  The  pharmacies  are 
striking !  We  have  lived  to  see  that !  The  doctors  also 
ought  to  strike  and  then  the  grave-diggers  will  unwillingly 
have  to  strike  also.  May  the  devil  seize  all !  At  home  I 
have  not  a  single  bottle;  so  throughout  the  entire  night  I 
will  not  be  able  to  sleep  a  wink  and  to-morrow  I  will  be  as 
if  taken  off  the  cross  —  " 

"Come  with  us,"  said  Gronski,  "perhaps  we  may  find 
a  bottle  of  something  and  black  coffee." 

"You  have  saved  not  only  my  life  but  that  of  my  'as- 
sociate,' especially  if  two  bottles  are  found." 

"We  will  seek.  But  what  kind  of  associate  are  you 
speaking  of  ?  " 

"True,  you  yet  know  nothing.  I  will  relate  it  over  a 
glass." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  251 

It  was  not  far  to  Gronski's  residence,  so  soon  they  were 
seated  around  a  table  on  which  was  found  a  bottle  of 
noble  Chambertin  and  a  coffee-percolator  with  black  coffee, 
steaming  in  a  delicious  manner. 

Swidwicki  regained  his  spirits. 

"Those  ladies,"  he  said,  "are  real  angels,  and  for  the 
reason  that  it  is  there,  as  if  in  Paradise,  where  happiness 
consists  in  gazing  upon  eternal  brightness  and  listening 
to  the  archangel  choir." 

Here  he  addressed  Krzycki : 

"I  observed  that  this  suffices  for  you  and  Gronski  — 
but  for  me  it  is  absolutely  too  little." 

"Only  do  not  begin  to  sharpen  your  tongue  on  those 
ladies,"  replied  Gronski,  "for  I  shall  order  the  bottle  re- 
moved instanter." 

Swidwicki  hugged  it  with  both  hands. 

"I  idoHze  —  all  three,"  he  exclaimed  with  comic  pre- 
cipitancy. 

"Of  what  kind  of  associate  were  you  speaking?" 

Swidwicki  swallowed  the  wine  and,  closing  his  eyes,  for 
a  while  appraised  its  value. 

"I  have  with  me  from  this  morning  some  kind  of  gal- 
lows-bird, for  whom  the  police  are  looking  and,  if  they  find 
him  with  me,  they  will  probably  hang  us  both." 

"You,  however,  have  given  him  shelter?" 

"I  gave  him  shelter  because  he  was  brought  by  one 
v/hom  I  could  not  refuse." 

"I  will  wager  that  it  was  some  woman." 

"That  is  true.  I  can  add  that  she  is  comely  and  one  of 
those  who  excite  in  me  a  responsive  electric  current.  But 
I  cannot  tell  you  her  name,  as  she  begged  me  to  keep  that 
secret." 

"I  do  not  ask,"  said  Gronski,  "but  as  to  the  current  I 
have  no  doubt,  as  otherwise  you  would  fear  to  place  your- 
self in  jeopardy." 


252  WHIRLPOOLS. 

To  this  Swidwicki  said : 

"Know  this,  that  I  do  not  fear  anything  in  the  world, 
and  this  gives  me  in  this  enslaved  country  such  an  un- 
heard of  independence  as  is  not  enjoyed  by  any  one  else." 

Saying  this,  he  drained  the  glass  to  the  bottom  and 
exclaimed : 

"Long  live  liberty  —  but  only  my  own." 

"Nevertheless,  all  this  demonstrates  that  you  have  a 
little  good  in  your  heart," 

"Not  in  the  least.  I  did  that,  firstly,  because  I  expect  a 
reward,  on  which,  after  all,  in  such  virtuous  company,  I 
prefer  not  to  dilate  —  unless  after  a  second  bottle  —  and 
again,  because  I  will  have  some  one  upon  whom  I  can 
vent  my  spleen  and  assert  my  ascendency.  I  assure  you 
that  my  gallows-bird  will  not  sleep  upon  roses  —  and  who 
knows  whether  after  a  week  he  will  not  prefer  the  gallows 
to  my  hospitality  ?  " 

"That  is  possible.     But  in  the  meantime?" 

"In  the  meantime  I  bought  for  him  Allen's  Waters  in 
order  to  bleach  the  black  tufts  of  hair  on  his  head  into  a 
light  color.  'Are  te  biondegiante'  —  as  during  Titian's 
time.  I  feel  also  a  little  satisfaction  at  the  thought  that 
the  police  will  stand  on  their  heads  to  find  him  and  will 
not  get  him." 

"Butif  they  find  him?" 

"I  doubt  it.  Do  you  remember  that  for  a  certain  time 
I  had  a  footman,  a  native  of  Bessarabia,  whom  you  knew  ? 
Over  two  months  ago  he  robbed  me  and  ran  away.  He 
has  already  written  to  me  from  New  York  with  a  proposi- 
tion which  I  will  not  repeat  to  you.  A  superb  type !  Per- 
fectly modern.  But  before  his  escape  he  begged  me  to 
return  to  him  his  passport,  as  now  they  are  asking  about 
passports  every  moment.  But  I  mislaid  it  in  some  book 
and  could  not  find  it.  But  recently  —  two  or  three  days  ago 
—  I  accidentally  found  it,  so  that  my  gallows-bird  will  have 
not  only  blond  hair  but  also  a  passport." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  253 

"And  will  he  not  rob  you  like  his  predecessor?" 

"I  told  him  that  he  ought  to  do  that,  but  he  became  in- 
dignant. It  seems  to  me  that  he  is  boiling  with  indig- 
nation from  morning  until  night,  and  if  in  the  end  he 
should  steal  from  me  it  would  be  from  indignation  that  I 
could  suppose  anything  like  that  of  him.  That  little  pat- 
roness who  shoved  him  on  my  neck  vouches  also  that  he 
is  honest,  but  did  not  even  tell  me  his  name.  Clever  girl  I 
For  she  says  thus :  *  If  they  find  him,  then  you  can  excuse 
yourself  on  the  plea  that  you  did  not  know  who  he  was.' 
And  she  is  right  —  though  when  some  marks  of  gratitude 
are  concerned,  she  scratches  like  a  cat.  For  her,  I  expose 
myself  to  the  halter,  and  when  I  wanted  from  her  a  little  of 
that  —  then  I  almost  got  it  in  the  snout." 

Gronski  knit  his  brows  and  began  to  sharply  eye  Swid- 
wicki ;  after  which,  he  said : 

"Miss  Anney's  servant  asked  me  this  morning  about 
your  residence.    Tell  me,  what  does  that  mean?" 

Swidwicki  again  drank  the  wine. 

"Ah,  she  also  called  —  she  was  there.  Pani  Otocka 
sent  through  her  an  invitation." 

"Pani  Otocka  sent  you  an  invitation  through  Pauly. 
Tell  that  to  some  one  else." 

"About  what  are  you  concerned?"  asked  Swidwicki, 
with  jovial  effrontery.  "She  ordered  her  to  send  the  in- 
vitation through  a  messenger  but  the  messengers  since 
last  night  are  on  a  strike.  Now  everybody  strikes.  Girls 
also,  —  with  the  exception  of  the  '  female  associates,' 
particularly  the  old  and  ugly  ones.  These,  if  they  strike, 
then  sans  le  vouloir." 

The  reply  appeared  to  Gronski  to  he  satisfactory,  as  in 
reality  messengers  had  been  absent  from  the  streets  since 
the  previous  day.  Then  Swidwicki  turned  the  conversa- 
tion into  another  direction. 

"I  received  him,"  he  said,  "not  to  save  an  ass,  but  be- 


254  WHIRLPOOLS. 

cause  I  am  bored  and  it  just  suited  me.  Some  wise  Italian 
once  said  that  the  divinity  which  holds  everything  in 
this  world  in  restraint  is  called  la  paura,  —  fear ;  and  the 
Italian  was  right.  If  the  people  did  not  fear,  nothing 
would  remain  —  not  a  single  social  form  of  life  !  On  this 
ladder  of  fear  there  are  numerous  rounds  and  the  highest 
is  the  fear  of  death.  Death  1  That  is  a  real  divinity ! 
Reges  rego,  leges  lego,  judice  judico !  And  I  confess  that 
I,  whose  life  has  been  passed  in  toppling  from  pedestals 
various  divinities,  had  the  most  difficulty  in  overcoming 
this  divinity.  But  I  overcame  it  and  so  completely  that  I 
made  it  my  dog." 

"What  did  you  do?" 

"A  dog,  which  as  often  as  it  pleases  me,  I  stroke  over 
the  hair,  as  for  instance  now,  when  I  received  that  revolu- 
tionary booby.  But  that  is  yet  nothing !  See  under  what 
terror  people  live:  the  executioner's  axe,  the  gallows,  the 
bullet,  cancer,  consumption,  typhoid  fever,  tabes  — 
suffering,  pain,  whole  months  and  years  of  torture  —  and 
why  ?  Before  the  fear  of  death.  And  I  jeer  at  that.  Me, 
hangman  will  not  execute,  cancer  will  not  gnaw,  consump- 
tion will  not  consume,  pain  will  not  break,  torture  will  not 
debase,  for  I  shout,  in  a  given  moment,  at  this  divinity 
before  which  all  tremble,  as  at  a  spaniel:   'Lie  down  V" 

After  which  he  laughed  and  said : 

"And  that  mad  booby  of  mine,  however,  hid  himself 
as  if  before  death.  Tell  me  what  would  happen  if  people 
actually  did  not  fear?" 

"They  would  not  be  themselves,"  answered  Gronski. 
"They  desire  life,  not  death." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  255 


XI 

SwiDWiCKi  did  not  lie  when  he  said  that  he  did  not  know 
the  name  of  the  revolutionist  to  whom  he  promised  an 
asylum,  for  in  reality  Pauly  had  made  a  secret  of  it. 
She  so  arranged  it  with  Laskowicz  on  the  way.  The  young 
student,  learning  that  Swidwicki,  to  whom  the  girl  was 
conducting  him,  was  an  acquaintance  of  Gronski  and 
Pani  Otocka,  in  the  first  moments  became  frightened  in- 
ordinately. He  recollected  the  letters  which  he  had  writ- 
ten to  Panna  Marynia,  and  his  odious  relations  with  Krzycki 
upon  whom  his  party  a  short  time  previously  perpetrated 
an  attack.  Personally  he  did  not  participate  in  it  and  the 
suggestion  did  not  emanate  from  him,  but  on  the  other 
hand  he  did  not  have  the  slightest  doubt  that  the  com- 
mittee issued  the  death  sentence  as  a  result  of  his  reports 
designating  Krzycki  as  the  chief  obstacle  to  their  propa- 
ganda, and  he  remembered  that  he  did  nothing  to  pre- 
vent the  attempt,  and  was  even  pleased  in  his  soul  that  a 
man,  hateful  to  him  and  at  the  same  time  a  putative  rival, 
would  be  removed  from  his  path. 

For  a  time  he  even  felt,  owing  to  this  "washing  of 
hands,"  a  certain  internal  disgust;  at  the  intelligence, 
however,  that  the  attack  was  unsuccessful  he  experienced, 
as  it  were,  a  feeling  of  disappointment.  And  now  he  was 
going  to  seek  shelter  with  a  man  who  was  a  relative  of 
Pani  Otocka  and  who  might  have  heard  of  the  letters  to 
Marynia  and  his  relations  with  Krzycki.  This  was  a  turn 
of  affairs,  clearly  fatal,  which  might  frustrate  the  best 
intentions  of  Panna  Pauly. 


256  WHIRLPOOLS. 

Considering  all  this  he  began  to  beg  the  girl  not  to  men- 
tion his  name,  giving  as  a  reason  that  in  case  the  police 
should  find  him,  Swidwicki  would  be  less  culpable. 

Pauly  admitted  the  full  justness  of  this;  after  a  while, 
however,  she  observed  that  if  Pan  Gronski  should  ever 
visit  Swidwicki  then  everything  would  be  disclosed. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  student,  "but  I  need  that  refuge 
for  only  a  few  days;  after  which  I  will  look  for  another, 
or  else  my  chiefs  may  dispatch  me  abroad." 

"What  chiefs?"  asked  Pauly. 

"Those  who  desire  liberty  and  bread  for  all,  and  who 
will  not  tolerate  that  some  one  should  be  raised  above  you, 
little  lady,  either  in  rank  or  money." 

"I  do  not  understand.  How  is  that?  I  would  not  be  a 
servant  and  would  not  have  a  mistress  ?" 

"Yes." 

Pauly  was  struck  by  the  thought  that  in  that  case 
she  would  be  nearer  to  her  "young  lord,"  but  not  having 
time  to  discuss  this  any  longer,  she  repeated : 

"I  do  not  understand.  Later,  I  will  question  you  about 
it,  but  now  let  us  proceed." 

And  they  walked  hurriedly  ahead,  in  silence,  until  they 
reached  Swidwicki's  door.  On  the  ringing  of  the  bell,  he 
opened  it  himself.  With  surprise  but  also  with  a  smile  he 
saw  Pauly  in  the  dark  hallway  and  afterwards  catching 
sight  of  Laskowicz,  he  asked : 

"What  is  he  here  for?    Who  is  he?" 

"May  we  enter  and  may  I  speak  with  you  in  private?" 
asked  the  girl. 

"If  you  please.  The  more  private,  the  more  agreeable 
it  will  be  to  me." 

And  they  entered.  The  student  remained  in  the  first 
room.  The  master  of  the  house  conducted  Pauly  to 
another  and  closed  the  door  after  him. 

Laskowicz  began  to  examine  the  large  room,  full  of  dis- 


WHIRLPOOLS.  257 

order,  with  books,  and  engravings,  and  an  abundance  of 
bottles  with  white  and  blue  labels.  On  the  round  table, 
near  the  window,  piled  with  daily  newspapers,  stood  a 
bottle  with  the  legend :  "  Vin  de  Coca ;  Mariani,"  and  a  few 
ash  trays  with  charred  lighters  for  cigars  and  cigarettes. 
The  furniture  in  the  room  was  heavy  and  evidently  when 
new  was  costly  but  it  was  now  dirty.  Hanging  on  the  wall 
were  pictures,  among  them  a  portrait  of  Pani  Otocka, 
while  yet  a  young  unmarried  lady.  In  one  corner  pro- 
truded the  well  known  statue  of  the  Neapolitan  Psyche 
with  mutilated  skull. 

The  student  placed  the  flower-pot  with  the  Italian  lilies 
on  the  table  and  began  to  eavesdrop.  His  life  was  in- 
volved, for  if  shelter  was  denied  to  him  he  undoubtedly 
would  be  arrested  that  day.  Through  the  closed  door 
came  to  him  from  time  to  time  Swidwicki's  outbursts  of 
laughter,  and  the  conversing  voices,  in  which  the  voice  of 
the  girl  sounded  at  times  as  if  entreating,  and  at  other 
moments  angry  and  indignant.  This  lasted  a  long  time. 
Finally  the  doors  opened  and  the  first  to  enter  was  Pauly, 
evidently  angry,  and  with  burning  cheeks ;  after  her  came 
Swidwicki,  who  said : 

"Very  well.  Since  the  beautiful  Pauly  so  wishes  it,  I 
will  not  tell  any  one  who  brought  to  me  this  Sir  Ananias, 
and  will  keep  him  under  cover,  but  on  condition  that 
Pauly  will  prove  a  little  grateful  to  me." 

"I  am  grateful,"  answered  the  girl  with  irritation. 

"These  are  the  proofs,"  said  Swidwicki,  displaying  marks 
on  the  back  of  his  hands.  "A  cat  could  not  scratch  any 
better.  But  to  only  look  at  little  Pauly,  I  will  agree  even 
to  that.    The  next  time  we  will  have  some  candy." 

"Good-by  till  we  meet  again." 

"Till  we  meet.    May  it  be  as  frequent  as  possible." 

The  girl  took  the  pot  with  the  flowers  and  left.  Then 
Swidwicki  thrust  his  hands  into  his  pockets  and  began  to 

17 


258  WHIRLPOOLS. 

stare  at  Laskowicz  as  if  he  had  before  him,  not  a  human 
being,  but  some  singular  animal.  Laskowicz  looked  at 
him  in  the  same  way,  and  during  that  short  interval  they 
acquired  for  each  other  a  mutual  dislike. 

Finally  Swidwicki  asked : 

"Ah,  esteemed  Sir  Benefactor,  of  what  party?  Social- 
ist, anarchist,  or  bandit  ?  I  beg  of  you  1  without  cere- 
mony !  I  do  not  ask  your  name,  but  it  is  necessary  to  be 
acquainted  somehow." 

"I  belong  to  the  Polish  Socialist  Party,"  answered  the 
student  with  a  certain  pride. 

"Aha  !  Then  to  the  most  stupid  one.  Excellent.  That 
is  as  if  some  one  said :  To  the  atheistic-Catholic  or  to  the 
national-cosmopolitan?  I  am  truly  delighted  to  bid  you 
welcome." 

Laskowicz  was  not  in  the  least  meek  by  nature,  and  be- 
sides he  understood  in  a  moment  that  he  had  before  him  a 
man  with  whom  he  would  gain  nothing  by  meekness ;  so, 
gazing  straight  into  Swidwicki's  eyes,  be  replied  almost 
contemptuously : 

"If  you,  sir,  can  be  a  Catholic  and  Pole,  I  can  be  a 
socialist  and  Pole." 

But  Swidwicki  laughed. 

"No,  Sir  Chieftain,"  he  said,  "Catholicism  is  a  smell. 
One  can  be  a  cat  and  have  a  fainter  or  stronger  odor,  but 
one  eannot  be  a  cat  and  dog  in  one  and  the  same  person." 

"I  am  no  chieftain;  only  a  third-class  agent,"  retorted 
Laskowicz.  "You,  sir,  have  given  me  a  refuge  and  your- 
self the  right  to  mock  me." 

"Exactly,  exactly  1  But  for  that  I  shall  not  require  any 
gratitude.  We  can,  after  all,  change  the  subject.  Sit 
down,  Sir  Third-class  Agent.  What  is  new  ?  How  is  His 
Majesty,  the  king." 

"What  king?" 

"Why  the  one  you  serve  and  who  to-day  has  the  most 


WHIRLPOOLS.  259 

courtiers;  the  one  who,  most  of  all,  cannot  endure  the 
truth  and  most  easily  gulps  adulation;  the  one,  who  in 
winter  smells  of  whiskey  and  in  summer  of  sour  sweat,  — 
that  mangy,  lousy,  scabby,  stinking,  gracious,  or  rather, 
ungracious  ruler  of  the  day.  King  Rabble." 

If  Laskowicz  had  heard  the  most  monstrous  blasphemies 
against  a  holy  object,  which  heretofore  mankind  vener- 
ated, he  would  not  have  been  more  horrified  than  at  the 
words  which  passed  Swidwicki's  lips.  For  him  it  was  as 
if  he  were  struck  on  the  head  with  a  club,  for  it  never 
crossed  his  mind  that  any  one  would  have  dared  to  utter 
anything  like  that.  His  eyes  became  dim,  his  jaws  tight- 
ened convulsively,  his  hands  began  to  tremble.  In  the 
first  moments  he  was  possessed  by  an  irrepressible  desire 
to  shoot  Swidwicki  in  the  head  with  the  revolver  he  carried 
with  him  and  afterwards  slam  the  door  and  go  wherever 
his  eyes  would  take  him,  or  else  to  place  the  barrel  to  his 
ear  and  shatter  his  own  head,  but  he  lacked  the  strength. 
All  night  long  he  had  toiled  in  the  printing  plant;  after 
which  he  had  filed  over  the  roofs  and  through  the  streets 
like  a  wild  animal.  He  was  fatigued,  hungry,  and  ex- 
hausted with  the  frightful  experiences  of  that  morning.  So 
he  suddenly  staggered  on  his  feet,  became  as  pale  as  a 
corpse,  and  would  have  tumbled  upon  the  ground  if  a 
chair  had  not  stood  close  by,  into  which  he  sank  heavily, 
as  if  dead. 

"What  is  this?  What  in  the  devil  ails  you?"  asked 
Swidwicki. 

And  he  began  to  assist  him.  He  poured  out  of  a  bottle 
the  remainder  of  the  cognac  and  forced  him  to  drink  it; 
afterwards  he  lifted  him  from  the  chair  and  led  him  to 
another  room  and  almost  forcibly  put  him  in  his  own  bed. 

"What  the  devil!"  he  repeated;  "how  do  you  feel?" 

"Better,"  answered  Laskowicz. 

Swidwicki  glanced  at  his  watch. 


260  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"In  about  ten  minutes,  the  old  woman  who  serves  here 
ought  to  come.  I  will  order  her  to  bring  something  to  eat. 
In  the  meanwhile  lie  quietly." 

Laskowicz  obeyed  this  advice,  as  he  could  not  do 
otherwise.  Lying  there,  however,  he  for  a  time  knit  his 
brow,  and  evidently  his  mind  was  laboring.    Then  he  said : 

"That  king  —  about  whom  you  inquired  —  is — starv- 
mg  — 

"May  the  devil  take  him  !"  replied  Swidwicki.  "  The 
bourgeoisie  will  feed  him,  and  for  this  he  at  the  first  oppor- 
tunity will  cut  their  throats.  But  do  not  take  to  heart  too 
seriously  whatever  I  say ;  for  I  say  the  same  and  stronger 
things  to  all  parties.    All !    Do  you  understand,  sir?" 

The  bell  interrupted  further  conversation.  Laskowicz 
trembled  like  an  aspen  leaf. 

"That  is  my  old  woman.  I  recognize  the  ring,"  said 
Swidwicki.  "She  is  earlier  to-day  than  usual.  Very  well. 
I  will  order  her  to  bring  food  at  once." 

In  fact,  after  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  food  was  placed  on 
the  table.  Refreshed,  Laskowicz  came  entirely  to  him- 
self and  did  not  think  of  forsaking  his  new  shelter.  Swid- 
wicki began  to  open  and  rummage  through  various  drawers. 
Finally,  finding  a  passport,  he  handed  it  to  Laskowicz  and 
said: 

"Before  you.  Sir  Benefactor,  become  dictator  of  all 
Poland  you  will  call  yourself  Zaranczko.  You  come  from 
Bessarabia  and  have  served  with  me  a  year.  If  they  should 
catch  you  and,  with  you,  me,  repeat  only  one  expression, 
' Mamalyga,^  mamalyga.'" 

In  this  manner  Laskowicz  was  installed  in  Swidwicki's 
home. 

»  Mamalyga,  a  kind  of  porridge  in  Bessarabia,  made  princi- 
pally of  corn. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  261 


XII 

The  morning  after  Marynia's  birthday  was  unusually 
gloomy.  The  western  wind  drove  heavy  black  clouds, 
which  hung  over  the  city,  foretelling  a  storm.  The  at- 
mosphere became  oppressive  and  sultry.  When  Ladislaus 
entered  the  church  it  was  completely  dark  within.  In  the 
Chapel  of  the  Divine  Mother  a  quiet  votive  mass  commenced 
almost  with  his  entry,  and  the  flickering  little  flames  of  the 
candles,  lighted  before  the  altar,  poorly  illuminated  the 
darkness.  Ladislaus  began  to  search  with  his  eyes  for  Miss 
Anney  and  he  recognized  her  by  the  light  hair  protruding 
from  under  her  hat.  She  knelt  in  the  first  pew,  her  hands 
crossed  in  prayer  and  resting  upon  an  open  book.  Seeing 
Ladislaus,  she  nodded  her  head  and  drew  aside,  to  make 
room  for  him,  not  pausing  in  her  prayers.  He  wanted  to 
speak  to  her  but  did  not  dare,  and  only  kneeling,  drew 
somewhat  towards  himself  the  book  so  that  they  mi[;ht 
pray  from  it  together.  It  was,  however,  so  dark  that  he 
could  read  nothing  and  after  a  while  he  became  convinced 
that  he  could  not  pray  at  all.  lie  was  seized  by  great 
emotion,  for  he  understood  that  a  new  epoch  in  his  life  had 
commenced,  and  that  this  moment,  in  which  by  the  con- 
sent of  Miss  Anney  he  knelt  at  her  side  before  the  altar 
to  mutually  entreat  God  for  blessing,  signified  more  than 
any  other  avowals,  and  that  it  was  the  first  sanctification 
of  their  loves  and  their  joint  future  lives.  He  was  possessed 
by  a  sense  of  his  happiness,  but  at  the  same  time  by  some 
kind  of  solemn  apprehension  at  the  thought  that  every- 
thing would  soon  cease  to  be  only  a  dream,  only  a  fancy, 
only  a  phantom  of   happiness,  and  become  realized  and 


262  WHIRLPOOLS. 

accomplished.  Through  his  mind  gUded  the  interrogato- 
ries, —  How  will  he  be  able  to  bear  this  happiness,  what  will 
he  do  with  it,  and  how  will  he  acquit  himself,  —  and  from 
these  questions  there  was  bred  in  him  a  sense  of  immense 
responsibility,  surcharged  with  fear.  It  was  like  certain 
worries  which  hitherto,  as  a  free  man,  he  had  not  known  or 
at  least  had  not  met  face  to  face.  And  he  saw  before  him 
cares  more  direct  and  immediate.  The  moment  of  his 
interview  with  his  mother  was  approaching;  there  were 
also  some  secret  obstacles,  which  Gronski  mentioned,  and 
it  was  incumbent  upon  him  to  weigh  everything,  to  plan, 
settle  various  matters,  and  set  aside  anticipated  difficulties. 
In  truth,  now,  if  ever,  it  was  worth  while  and  necessary 
to  trust  to  the  Divine  favor,  invoke  the  All-provident  aid, 
and  deliver  her  to  the  care  of  the  Future.  Ladislaus  ob- 
served that  similar  feelings  and  similar  thoughts  must  have 
swayed  Miss  Anney  as  her  countenance  was  calm,  com- 
posed, grave,  and  even  sad.  The  little  flames  of  the  candles 
were  reflected  in  her  upraised  eyes  and  for  a  while  it  seemed 
to  Ladislaus  that  he  saw  tears  in  those  eyes.  Apparently 
with  the  whole  strength  of  her  soul  she  committed  him  and 
herself  to  God.  And  thus  they  knelt  beside  each  other, 
shoulder  to  shoulder,  heart  to  heart,  and  already  united, 
happy,  and  a  little  timorous.  Ladislaus,  having  suppressed 
the  whirlwind  of  thoughts,  at  last  began  to  pray  and  said 
to  God,  "Do  with  me  whatever  Thou  wilt,  but  grant  her 
happiness  and  peace."  And  a  prodigious  overflowing 
wave  of  love  deluged  his  bosom.  His  prayer  became  at 
the  same  time  a  solemn  espousal  and  internal  oath  that  he 
would  never  wrong  that  most  precious  being  in  the  world, 
and  that  those  eyes  would  never  weep  for  his  sake. 

In  the  meantime  the  votive  mass  was  nearing  its  close. 
When  the  priest  turned  from  the  altar,  his  words,  in  the 
half-empty  chapel,  were  as  if  dreamy  and  like  whispering 
amidst  sighs  —  as  usually  happens  at  the  early  morning 


WHIRLPOOLS.  263 

mass.  But  at  times  they  were  deafened  by  thunders,  as 
the  storm  began  outside.  The  windows  of  the  chapel 
darkened  yet  more,  and  from  time  to  time  Hvid  Hghtning 
illuminated  the  panes ;  after  which  the  darkness  grew  yet 
denser,  and  on  the  altar  the  little  flames  of  the  candles 
twinkled  uneasily.  The  priest  turned  around  once  more; 
"  Dominus  vobiscum  ! "  after  which,  "  Ite  missa  est."  After- 
wards he  blessed  the  assembled  and  retired.  The  small 
number  of  faithful  who  heard  the  mass  followed  his  ex- 
ample. Only  they  two  remained.  Then  she  began  to  say  in 
a  whisper,  broken  by  emotion,  "Under  Thy  protection  we 
flee.  Holy  Mother  of  God,"  and  the  further  words  "Our 
entreaties  deign  not  to  spurn  and  from  all  evil  deign  to 
preserve  us  forever,"  were  said  jointly  with  Ladislaus,  and 
in  this  manner  the  entire  prayer  concluded. 

After  this,  silence  fell  between  them,  was  broken  only 
after  a  long  whil^  by  Ladislaus. 

"We  will  have  to  wait,"  he  said  in  a  low  voice.  "The 
storm  is  yet  continuing." 

"Very  well,"  answered  Miss  Anney. 

"My  dear,  dearest  lady — " 

But  she  placed  her  finger  to  her  lips  and  silence  again 
ensued.  They  did  not,  however,  have  to  wait  very  long, 
for  the  summer  storms  come  and  pass  away  like  birds. 
After  the  lapse  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they  left  the  church. 
The  streets  were  flooded  by  the  rain,  but  through  the  rifts 
of  the  scattered  and  rent  clouds  the  sun  shone  brightly 
and,  it  seemed,  moistly.  Miss  Anney's  eyes  winked  under 
the  flood  of  light  and  her  countenance  was  as  if  she 
was  awakened  from  a  dream.  But  her  composure  and 
gravity  did  not  pass  away.  Ladislaus,  on  the  other  hand, 
at  the  sight  of  the  sun,  and  the  bustle  and  life  on  the  streets, 
was  at  once  imbued  with  gayety  and  hope.  He  glanced 
once  and  again  at  his  companion  and  she  seemed  to  him 
as  wonderful  as  a  dream,  charming  as  never  before,  and 


264  WHIRLPOOLS. 

adorable  simply  beyond  measure  and  bounds.  He  felt 
that  he  was  capable  of  seizing  her  at  that  moment  in  his 
arms;  of  showing  her  to  the  sun,  the  clouds,  the  city,  the 
human  multitude,  and  exclaiming:  "Behold  my  wealth, 
my  treasure ;  this  is  the  joy  of  my  life ! "  But,  conjecturing 
properly  that  Miss  Anney  would  not  assent  to  any  mani- 
festations like  that,  he  subdued  this  impulse  and  directed 
his  thoughts  to  more  important  matters. 

"My  adored  lady,"  said  he,  "I  must  give  utterance  to 
words    which  burn  my  lips.     When  may  I  come  to  see 

you?" 

"To-day  at  four,"  she  replied;  "I  also  have  to  tell  you 
something  upon  which  everything  depends." 

"Everything  depends  upon  you,  lady,  and  upon  nothing 
else." 

But  her  clear  cheeks  were  suffused  with  confused  blushes : 
her  eyes  shone  as  if  with  disagreeable  uneasiness ;  and  she 
replied : 

"God  grant  —  you  do  not  know,  sir  —  you  do  not  know 
sir  —  "  she  repeated  with  emphasis.  "We  will  be  alone. — 
But  now  we  must  part." 

Ladislaus  escorted  her  to  the  carriage,  kissed  her  hands 
and  remained  alone.  Her  words,  corroborating  that  which 
Gronski  had  intimated  as  a  result  of  his  interviews  with 
Pani  Otocka,  disquieted  him,  however,  but  only  for  a  short 
time,  as  he  was  too  much  in  love  to  suppose  that  it  could 
change  his  love  or  swerve  him  from  his  purpose.  At  the 
mere  thought  of  this  he  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"Women,"  he  said  to  himself,  "are  always  full  of  scruples 
and  to  actual  difficulties  they  add  chimerical  ones." 

After  which,  he  returned  home  in  the  best  of  humor, 
and  besides  Gronski,  found  there  Dolhanski. 

"Behold,"  exclaimed  Gronski,  "lo,  here  is  Dolhanski 
the  bachelor.    Congratulate  him  for  he  is  going  to  marry." 

"No?"    Truly?  asked  Ladislaus,  amused. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  265 

"With  Panna  Kajetana  Wlocek,"  added  Dolhanski, 
with  sangfroid  and  extraordinary  gravity. 

"Then  I  tender  my  best  wishes  from  the  whole,  heart. 
When  is  the  wedding?" 

"Very  soon,  on  account  of  the  weather,  famine,  fire,  and 
war,  also  similar  exceptional  circumstances.  In  a  week. 
Without  publication  of  the  banns,  on  an  indult.  After 
the  wedding,  the  same  night  a  trip  abroad." 

"And  you  say  all  this  seriously?" 

"With  the  greatest  seriousness  in  the  world.  Observe 
the  exquisite  consequences." 

Here  Dolhanski  spread  out  his  fingers  and  began  to 
enumerate:" 

"Primo,  my  credit  is  resurrected,  as  a  Hindoo  fakir, 
who,  buried  in  the  ground  for  a  whole  month,  awakes  after 
exhumation  to  a  new  life;  secundo:  Gorek  is  without  a 
copper  coin  of  indebtedness  and  without  society;  tertio- 
my  marriage  settlement  surpasses  my  expectations ;  quarto : 
my  fiancee  from  good  luck  has  grown  so  beautiful  that  you 
would  not  recognize  her." 

"What  are  you  saying?"    cried  Ladislaus,  ingenuously. 


266  WHIRLPOOLS. 


XIII 

Promptly  at  four,  Ladislaus  appeared  at  Miss  Anney's. 
She  received  him  feelingly  and  for  a  greeting  offered  both 
hands  which  he  began  to  press  alternately  to  his  lips  and 
his  forehead.  Afterwards  they  sat  beside  each  other  and 
for  a  long  time  heard  only  the  quickened  beating  of  their 
own  hearts  and  the  faint  sounds  of  the  clock  on  the  writing- 
desk.  They  reciprocally  glanced  at  each  other  but  neither 
was  able  to  say  the  first  word.  After  a  while  life  could  glow 
for  them  like  a  new  dawn,  glistening  with  joy  and  happi- 
ness, but,  for  the  time  being,  it  was  heavy,  embarrassing, 
the  more  embarrassing  the  longer  the  silence  continued. 

Finally,  Ladislaus  from  a  feeling,  that,  if  he  kept  silent 
much  longer,  he  would  appear  ridiculous,  mustered  enough 
courage  and  spoke  in  a  broken  voice,  whose  sounds 
appeared  strange  to  him ! 

"From  this  morning  I  have  a  little  hope  —  and 
nevertheless  my  heart  beats  as  if  I  did  not  have  any  — 
I  could  not  say  a  single  word  until  I  caught  my  breath  — 
but  that  is  nothing  strange  as  my  whole  life  is  concerned. 

—  Lady,  you  long  ago,  of  course,  surmised  how  deeply 

—  how  with  my  whole  soul  I  love  you,  —  you  knew  this 
long  ago  —  is  it  not  so  ?" 

Here  he  again  inhaled  the  air,  took  a  deep  breath,  and 
continued : 

"To-day  in  the  church  I  said  to  myself  this:  'If  she  will 
hear  me,  if  she  does  not  spurn  me,  if  she  consents  to  be  my 
own  for  my  whole  life  —  my  wife  —  then  I  vow  solemnly  to 
God  before  this  altar  that  I  will  love  and  honor  her ;  that 
I  will  never  wrong  her  and  will  give  her  all  the  happiness 
which  is  in  my  power.'    And  I  swear  to  you  that  this  is  the 


WHIRLPOOLS.  267 

truth  —  It  only  depends  upon  you,  lady,  that  it  shall 
be  so  —  upon  your  consent  —  upon  your  faith  in  me." 

Saying  this,  he  again  raised  Miss  Anney's  hands  to  his 
lips  and  imprinted  upon  them  a  long  imploring  kiss  and 
she  leaned  towards  him  so  that  her  hair  lightly  brushed  his 
forehead,  and  quietly  replied: 

"I  consent  and  believe  with  my  whole  soul  —  but  this 
does  not  depend  upon  me  alone." 

"Only  upon  you,  lady,"  exclaimed  Ladislaus. 

And  believing  that  Miss  Anney  had  his  mother  in  mind, 
he  began  to  say  with  a  brightened  face  and  deep  joy  in 
his  voice: 

"My  mother  desires  my  happiness  above  all  things  and 
I  assure  you  that  she  will  come  here  with  me  to  beg  of  you ; 
and  with  me  she  will  thank  you  for  this  great,  this  ineffable 
boon,  and  in  the  meantime  I  on  my  knees  thank  —  " 

He  wanted  to  drop  on  his  knees  before  her  and  embrace 
her  limbs  with  his  arms,  but  she  began  to  restrain  him  and 
say  with  feverish  haste: 

"No,  no.  Do  not  kneel,  sir,  —  you  must  first  hear  me. 
I  consent,  but  I  must  confess  things  upon  which  everything 
depends.     Please  calm  yourself." 

Ladislaus  rose,  again  sat  beside  her  and  said,  with 
anxious  surprise: 

"I  listen,  my  dearest  lady." 

"And  I  must  compose  myself  a  little,"  replied  Miss 
Anney. 

After  which  she  rose,  and  approaching  the  window, 
pressed  her  forehead  against  the  pane. 

For  some  time  silence  again  ensued. 

"What  is  it?"    spoke  out  Krzycki. 

Miss  Anney  withdrew  her  forehead  from  the  pane.  Her 
countenance  was  calmer,  but  her  eyes  were  dimmed  as 
if  with  tears.  Approaching  the  table,  she  sat  down  op- 
posite to  Ladislaus. 


268  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"Before  I  relate  what  it  is  now  necessary  for  me  to  state," 
she  said,  "I  have  a  great  favor  to  ask  of  you.  And  if 
you  —  love  me  truly  —  then  you  will  not  refuse  —  " 

"Lady,  if  you  demanded  my  life,  I  would  not  refuse  it. 
I  pledge  you  my  word,"  he  exclaimed. 

"Very  well.  Give  me  your  word.  Then  I  will  be  cer- 
tain." 

"  I  pledge  it  in  advance  and  swear  upon  our  future  hap- 
piness that  I  will  comply  with  your  every  wish." 

"Very  well,"  repeated  Miss  Anney.  "Then  I  first  beg 
of  you,  by  all  you  hold  most  precious,  not  to  feel  at  all 
bound  by  anything  you  have  said  to  me  just  now." 

"I  not  feel  bound?  In  what  way?  Of  course,  it  may 
not  be  binding  upon  you,  lady  —  but  on  me  —  " 

"Well,  then,  I  release  you  from  all  obligations  and  con- 
sider that  nothing  has  been  said.  You  promised  me  that 
you  would  not  refuse  me  anything,  but  this  is  not  all." 

"Not  all?" 

"No,  I  am  anxious  that  after  what  I  shall  tell  you,  you 
shall  not  give  me  any  answer  —  and  for  a  whole  week 
shall  not  return  to  me  and  shall  not  try  to  see  me." 

"But  in  the  name  of  God,  what  is  it?"  cried  Ladislaus; 
"why  should  I  suffer  a  week  of  torments?    What  does  this 

"And  for  me  it  also  will  be  a  torment,"  she  answered 
in  a  soft  voice.  "But  it  is  necessary,  it  is  imperative. 
You  will  have  to  explain  everything  to  yourself;  weigh 
everything,  unravel  and  decide  everything  —  and  form 
a  resolution  —  afterwards  you  may  return  or  may  not 
return  —  and  a  week  for  all  that  will  be  rather  too  little." 

And  perceiving  the  agitation  on  Ladislaus'  face,  she  hur- 
riedly added,  as  if  alarmed : 

"Sir,  you  promised  —  you    pledged  me   your    word!" 

Ladislaus  drew  his  hand  across  the  hair  of  his  head; 
after  which  he  began  to  rub  his  forehead  with  his  palm. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  269 

"I  gave  the  word,"  he  said  at  last,  "because  you  re- 
quested it,  lady  —  but  why?" 

And  Miss  Anney  turned  pale  to  the  eyes;  for  a  while 
her  lips  quivered  as  though  she  struggled  vainly  to  draw 
the  words  from  her  bosom,  and  only  after  an  interval  did 
she  reply : 

"Because  —  atone  time  I  —  did  not  bear  the  name  of 
Anney." 

"You  did  not  bear  the  name  of  Anney?" 

"I  —  am  —  Hanka  Skibianka." 

Ladislaus  rose,  staggered  like  a  drunken  man,  and 
began  to  stare  at  her  with  a  bewildered  look. 

And  she  added  in  almost  a  whisper: 

"Little  master!  — 'tis  I— of  the  mill." 

And  tears  coursed  quietly  over  her  pallid  countenance. 


270  WHIRLPOOLS. 


PART  m 
I 

Krzycki  left  Miss  Anney's  with  a  sensation  as  if  lightning 
had  struck  directly  in  front  of  him  and  suddenly  stunned 
him.  He  could  neither  collect  nor  connect  his  thoughts; 
he  was  not  even  in  a  condition  to  realize  his  situation  nor 
reflect  upon  it.  The  only  impression,  or  rather  feeling, 
which  in  the  first  moments  remained  was  a  feeling  of 
illimitable  amazement.  On  the  way  he  repeated  every 
little  while,  "Hanka  Skibianka  !  Hanka  Skibianka  !"  and 
seemed  incapable  of  doing  aught  else.  He  did  not  find 
Gronski  at  home,  as  the  latter  had  left  immediately  after 
the  noon  hour,  telling  the  servant  that  he  would  return 
late  at  night.  So  he  went  to  his  room,  locked  himself  in 
without  knowing  why;  afterwards  he  flung  himself  into 
an  armchair  and  sat  abstractedly  for  over  an  hour.  After 
the  lapse  of  that  time,  he  opened  his  trunk  and  began  to 
pack  things  into  it  with  excessive  zeal,  until  finally  he  pro- 
pounded to  himself  the  question :  "  Why  am  I  doing  this  ?" 
Not  being  able  to  find  an  answer,  he  abandoned  that  work 
and  only  resumed  it  when  he  came  to  the  unexpected  con- 
clusion that  in  any  case  he  would  have  to  move  away  from 
Gronski's. 

Having  finished,  he  put  on  his  hat  and  left,  without  any 
well-defined  object,  for  the  city.  For  a  while  a  desire  rose 
in  him  to  call  upon  his  mother  and  Pani  Otocka,  but  he 
stifled  it  at  once.  For  what  ?  It  seemed  to  him  that  he  had 
nothing  to  tell  his  mother  about  himself  and  his  intentions ; 
and  that  he  could  talk  with  her  only  about  this  unheard-of 


WHIRLPOOLS.  271 

intelligence,  the  discussion  of  which  would  be  for  him, 
beyond  all  expression,  afflicting.  Unconsciously,  he 
reached  the  Holy  Cross  Church  and  wanted  to  enter  it, 
but  the  hour  was  late  and  the  church  was  locked.  The 
morning  of  that  day  and  the  joint  prayer  with  her  stood 
vividly  before  his  eyes.  Ah,  how  sincerely  he  prayed ;  how 
he  loved  her;  how  he  loved  her!  And  now  he  could  not 
resist  the  impression  that  this  light-haired,  idolized  lady, 
with  whom  he  said  in  that  chapel  "Under  Thy  Protection," 
and  Hanka  Skibianka  were  two  different  beings.  And 
he  felt  in  his  heart  a  kind  of  disenchantment  with  which  he 
began  to  contend.  For  why  was  he  nevertheless  so  acutely 
affected  by  it?  Was  it  because  Hanka  was  a  peasant  girl 
and  he  a  nobleman  ?  No  !  Miss  Anney  never  represented 
herself  as  an  English  noblewoman,  and  a  Polish  peasant 
is  no  worse  than  an  English  commoner.  He  could  not 
clearly  perceive  that  the  reason  of  it  lay  in  this :  that  Miss 
Anney  through  her  descent  alone,  foreign  and  distant, 
appeared  to  him  a  sort  of  princess,  and  Hanka  was  a 
near  and  domestic  girl  from  Zarnow.  She  aroused  less 
curiosity  and  therefore  was  less  attractive.  She  was  so 
much  easier,  therefore,  cheaper  to  him.  In  vain  he 
recalled  and  repeated  that  this  Hanka  is  that  same  light- 
haired  lady,  charming  as  a  dream,  alluring,  genteel,  wo- 
manly, responding  in  sentiment  to  every  thought  and 
every  word;  the  feeling  of  disenchantment  was  more 
powerful  than  those  thoughts,  and  that  charm  of  exoticism, 
which  suddenly  was  lacking  in  the  girl,  minimized  her 
worth  in  his  eyes. 

But,  besides  this,  there  was  something  else,  in  view  of 
which  the  disenchantment  and  all  unexpected  impressions 
stood  aside  and  became  matters  of  secondary  importance. 
This  was,  that  he  had  once  possessed  that  girl  —  body  and 
soul.  She  was  at  that  time  almost  a  child  —  a  flower  not 
yet  in  full  bloom  which  he  plucked  and  carried  for  some 


272  WHIRLPOOLS. 

time  at  his  bosom.  The  memory  of  that  could  be  a  re- 
proach only  for  him;  no  fault  whatever  weighed  on  her. 
He  recollected  those  moonlight  nights  on  which  he  stole 
to  the  mill;  those  whispers  which  were  one  quiet  song  of 
love  and  intoxication,  interrupted  only  by  kisses;  he 
recalled  how  he  clasped  to  his  heart  her  girlish  body, 
fragrant  with  the  hay  of  the  fields ;  how  he  drank  the  tears 
from  her  eyes  and  how  he  said  to  her  that  he  would  give  up 
for  her  all  the  ladies  of  all  the  courts.  The  idyl  passed,  but 
now  there  wafted  upon  him  from  her  the  breath  of  the 
first  youthful  years,  the  first  love,  the  first  ecstasy,  and  the 
truly  great  poetry  of  life.  Besides,  there  was  truth  in 
what  he  had  confided  to  Gronski  in  Jastrzeb:  that  the 
girl  loved  him  as  no  other  woman  in  the  world  surely  would 
love  him.  And  at  the  thought  of  this,  his  heart  began  to 
melt.  Together  with  the  wave  of  recollection,  Hanka 
returned  and  again  engaged  his  thoughts. 

Yes.  But  that  was  Hanka  and  she  is  Miss  Anney.  In 
Ladislaus,  from  the  time  he  fell  in  love  with  her,  his  senses 
leaped  wildly  towards  her  like  a  pack  of  yelping  hounds; 
but  he  held  them  in  leash  because  at  the  same  time  he 
knelt  before  his  beloved.  She  was  to  him  an  object  of 
desire  but  at  the  same  time  a  sacred  relic;  something  so 
inaccessible,  exalted,  pure,  and  mysterious  in  its  virginity 
that  at  the  thought  that  the  moment  would  arrive  when 
he  would  be  the  master  of  those  treasures  and  secrets  ap- 
peared to  him  a  delight  beyond  all  measure  of  delight; 
all  the  more  fathomless  as  it  was,  united,  as  it  were,  with  a 
sacrilege.  And  now  he  had  to  say  to  himself  that  this  sac- 
rilege he  had  already  committed ;  that  the  charm  of  some- 
thing unknown  was  dispelled;  that  in  this  vestal  there 
were  for  him  no  mysteries  and  that  he  had  already  drunk 
from  that  cup.  And  this  again  was  one  lure  less ;  one  dis- 
enchantment more.  In  this  manner  Miss  Anney  mud- 
died his  recollection  of  the  field  peasant-girl,  Hanka, — 


WHIRLPOOLS.  273 

Hanka  depreciated  the  charm  of  Miss  Anney.  Both  were 
so  different,  so  unlike  each  other,  that,  being  unable  to 
merge  them  into  one  entity,  he  vainly  intensified  that 
jarring  impression  with  a  feeling  of  disquietude  and 
pain. 

In  this  vexation  of  spirit  there  occurred  to  him  one 
wicked,  low,  and  ugly  thought.  In  what  manner  did  the 
poor  and  simple  Hanka  change  into  the  brilliant  Miss 
Anney?  In  what  manner  could  a  gray  sparrow  from  un- 
der a  village  thatched  hut  be  transfonned  into  a  para- 
disiacal bird  ?  Hanka  was  a  betrayed  giri ;  therefore  the 
bridges  had  been  burnt  behind  her.  Amidst  the  wealth 
of  a  foreign  land,  beautiful  but  poor  girls  have  before  them 
only  one  road  to  the  acquisition  of  affluence  and  even 
polish,  and  that  was  the  road  of  shame.  Hanka  found  one 
patron  who  took  care  of  her  in  the  appropriate  manner; 
how  many  similar  patrons  and  protectors  could  Miss  Anney 
find  ?  At  the  thought  of  this  Krzycki's  head  swam.  Con- 
science said  to  him,  "You  opened  those  gates  before  her," 
and  at  the  same  time  he  was  seized  by  such  anger  at  Miss 
Anney  and  himself  that  if  the  life  or  death  of  both  rested 
in  his  hands,  he  would  at  that  moment  have  selected  death. 
Something  within  him  was  rent  asunder;  something 
crashed.  It  seemed  to  him  that  again,  just  above  his  head, 
pealed  lightning,  which  stunned  him  and  burnt,  within  him, 
to  a  crisp,  the  ability  to  think. 

He  wandered  a  long  time  over  the  city.  He  himself  did 
not  know  in  what  manner  he  again  found  himself  before 
Pani  Otocka's  home,  but  he  did  not  enter  for  he  once  more 
felt  that  at  that  time  he  could  not  speak  with  his  mother. 
He  returned  to  his  own  house  late  at  night.  Gronski  was 
already  at  home,  and  for  an  hour  had  been  waiting  for 
him  with  the  tea. 

"Good  evening,"  he  said,  "I  have  returned  from  your 
mother's." 

18 


274  WHIRLPOOLS. 

And  Ladislaus  asked  him  with  blunt  impetuosity, 
"Do  you  know  who  Miss  Anney  is?" 

"I  do.     Pani  Otocka  told  me." 

A  moment  of  silence  followed. 

"What  do  you  say  to  this?" 

"I  could  ask  you  that  question." 

Ladislaus  sat  heavily  in  the  chair,  drew  his  palm  over 
his  forehead  and  replied  with  bitter  irony: 

"Ah,  I  have  time.    I  was  given  a  week  for  consideration." 

"That  is  not  too  much,"  answered  Gronski,  looking  at 
him  questioningly. 

"Certainly.     Does  Mother  also  know?" 

"Yes.     Pani  Otocka  told  her  everything." 

Again  silence  ensued. 

"My  dear  Laudie,"  said  Gronski,  "I  can  understand 
that  this  must  have  shocked  you,  and  for  that  reason  I  will 
not  speak  with  you  of  it  until  you  calm  down  and  regain 
your  equipoise.  You  must  also  become  familiar  with  and 
well  weigh  the  reasons  why  Miss  Anney  told  only  Pani 
Otocka  who  she  was  and  why  she  came  to  Jastrzeb  under 
her  new  name,  to  which,  after  all,  she  has  a  perfect  right. 
Here  is  a  letter  from  her.  She  requested  me  to  deliver  it 
to  you  to-morrow  and  that  is  why  I  did  not  hand  it  to  you 
as  soon  as  you  appeared.  At  present  I  do  not  think  that  it 
would  be  proper  to  defer  the  matter.  But  do  not  open  it 
at  once  nor  in  my  presence.  Put  it  away  and  read  it  when 
alone,  when  you  can  ponder  over  every  word.  Positively 
do  this.  That  which  has  happened  moved  me  to  such  an 
extent  that  for  the  time  being  I  could  not  speak  of  it 
calmly.  To-day  I  can  only  give  you  this  advice:  be  a 
man  and  do  not  allow  yourself  to  be  swept  away  by  the 
current  of  impressions.     Row!" 

To  this  Ladislaus,  who  sobered  up  a  little  under  the  in- 
fluence of  these  words,  said : 

"  I  thank  you,  sir.    I  will  read  the  letter  in  privacy.    It 


WHIRLPOOLS.  275 

is  now  so  indispensable  to  me  that  I  trust,  sir,  that  you  will 
not  take  it  ill  of  me  if  I  no  longer  abuse  your  hospitality. 
I  am  sincerely  and  cordially  grateful  to  you  for  every- 
thing, but  I  must  lock  myself  up.  How  long  —  I  do  not 
know.  When  I  am  myself  again,  I  will  come  to  you  to 
discuss  everything,  God  grant,  more  calmly.  Now  in 
reality,  I  see  that  I  was  justly  given  one  week's  time.  But 
besides  time,  I  feel  the  need  of  my  own  den.  I  cannot  get 
rid  of  various  thoughts,  immensely  bitter  and  even  horrible. 
To-day  they  hold  me  by  the  head  and  it  is  necessary  that  I 
should  hold  them  by  the  head  —  and  for  that  reason  I 
want  to  have  my  own  den." 

"You  know  how  willing  I  am  to  please  you,"  answered 
Gronski;  "I  understand  you,  and  though  in  advance  I 
decided  not  to  torment  you  with  any  questions,  never- 
theless, do  what  is  best  for  yourself.  I  must  tell  you  also 
that  your  mother  is  rnoving  to  a  hotel,  as  she  is  offended 
with  Pani  Otocka.  She  took  umbrage  because  she  did 
not  tell  her  at  once  in  Jastrzeb  who  Miss  Anney 
was." 

"I  confess  that  I  do  not  understand  that  —  " 

"Nevertheless,  that  would  have  been  directly  contrary 
to  what  those  ladies  desired.  Pani  Otocka's  intentions 
were  the  noblest.  Time  will  elucidate  and  equalize  every- 
thing. Even  Marynia  did  not  know  anything,  not  only 
because  Pani  Zosia  was  bound  by  her  word,  but  also  be- 
cause she  did  not  deem  it  proper  to  acquaint  her  with  your 
former  behavior  and  your  relations  with  the  Hanka  of 
former  days.  With  Hanka  —  Miss  Anney  !  That  was  an 
unheard-of  turn  of  affairs.  Do  you  remember  our  con- 
versation in  Jastrzeb  when  we  went  hunting  for  wood- 
cock?   Do  you  remember?" 

"I  remember,  but  I  cannot  speak  of  it." 

"Yes,  better  not  speak  of  it  at  this  time.  Miss  Anney's 
letter  undoubtedly  will  clear  up  the  dark  sides  of  the  affair 


276  WHIRLPOOLS. 

and  explain  what  is  now  unintelligible.  If  you  desire  to 
read  it  at  once,  I  will  go  and  leave  you  here." 

"I  am  very  curious  about  it  and  for  just  that  reason  I 
will  take  my  leave  of  you." 

"But  you  will  pass  this  night  with  me?" 

"I  have  packed  my  things  and  the  hotels  are  always 
open." 

"In  such  case  good-by! — and  remember  what  I  told 
you.     Row!  Row!" 

After  a  moment  Gronski  remained  alone.  He  also  was 
agitated,  distressed,  but  curious  to  the  highest  degree. 
When  after  Ladislaus'  confessions  in  Jastrzeb,  he  said  to 
him  that  "the  mills  of  the  gods  grind  late,"  he  spoke  it  in 
a  way  one  utters,  off-hand,  any  maxim  to  which  one  does 
not  attach  any  real  significance.  In  the  meantime  life 
verified  it  in  a  manner  fabulous  but  nevertheless  logical. 
For  as  a  fable  only  appeared  the  transformation  of  Hanka 
into  Miss  Anney,  but  that  Miss  Anney  desired  to  see  the 
man,  whom,  as  a  child,  she  loved  in  her  first  transports  of 
love  and  the  place  which  bound  her  with  so  many  memo- 
ries, tender  and  sad,  was  a  matter  natural  and  intelligible. 
And,  of  course,  she  could  not  return  to  Jastrzeb  and  stay 
under  the  Krzycki  roof-tree  otherwise  than  under  a  changed 
name.  And  thus  it  happened ;  and  the  later  events  rolled 
on  with  their  own  force  until  they  reached  the  moment 
when  it  was  necessary  to  reveal  the  secret.  Gronski  knew 
already  from  Pani  Otocka  everything  which  she  could 
tell  him  and  absolved  from  all  sin  her  as  well  as  Miss 
Anney.  Nevertheless,  he  understood  that  an  unprecedented 
situation  was  created,  and  such  a  knot  was  twisted  that  the 
untangling  of  it  was  impossible  to  foresee.  It  could  only 
be  untwined  by  Krzycki,  and  even  he  stood  not  only  in 
the  presence  of  new  difficulties  but,  as  it  were,  in  the 
presence  of  a  new  person. 


WHIRLPOOI^.  277 


n 

The  very  next  day  after  the  escape  from  the  police 
Pauly  visited  Laskowicz  and  afterwards  called  to  see  him 
as  often  as  she  could  find  leisure  time,  selecting,  neverthe- 
less, hours  when  Swidwicki  was  not  at  home.  But  this  did 
not  present  great  difficulties  as  Swidwicki  usually  rose 
about  noon,  after  which  he  went  away  and  did  not  return 
until  late  at  night.  The  girl  was  not  induced  to  make 
these  frequent  visits  by  any  sentimentality  nor  excep- 
tional benevolence  for  the  young  student.  She  even  felt, 
particularly  in  the  first  moments,  that  she  could  despise 
him.  But  women  love  in  general  to  look  at  close  range  at 
their  good  deeds  and  to  behold,  even  daily,  the  people  for 
whom  they  have  become  providential  angels;  and  again 
Laskowicz,  with  every  word,  disclosed  to  her  worlds  of 
whose  existence  she  heretofore  had  never  guessed.  About 
socialists  thus  far  she  knew  almost  nothing,  except  what 
a  certain  old  female  cook  once  told  her,  that  "they  do  not 
believe  in  God  and  do  not  eat  ducks" ;  and  she  only  heard 
that  they  threw  bombs  and  shot  from  revolvers.  After  the 
attack  upon  Krzycki  howsoever  much  she,  together  with 
all  the  servants  in  Jastrzeb,  was  convinced  that  it  was  per- 
petrated by  Rzeslewo  men,  nevertheless,  the  supposition 
that  it  might  have  been  the  socialists  reached  her  ears,  and 
then  she  was  inflamed  against  them  with  a  temporary  un- 
governable hatred.  But  now  she  was  learning  that  they 
were  people  of  an  entirely  different  stamp.  She  did  not 
yet  understand  what  in  general  they  wanted,  but  under- 
stood   in   particular   that  those  people  desired  that  she, 


278   .  WHIRLPOOLS. 

Paulina  Kielkowna,  should  be  a  kind  of  lady  like  Miss 
Anney  or  Pani  Otocka.  And  as  a  bee  sips  juice  from  flow- 
ers, so  she,  from  the  words  of  the  young  fanatic,  extracted 
nourishment  for  her  envy,  her  pain,  her  feelings.  Her 
heart  began  to  draw  her  towards  that  "Party,"  which  ap- 
peared to  her  as  a  Providence  and  as  a  power ;  and  to  this 
was  joined  the  purely  feminine  curiosity  of  the  awful  se- 
crets of  that  power.  Laskowicz  quickly  observed  that  the 
seed  fell  upon  fit  soil ;  and  when  once,  for  uttering  inadver- 
tently a  disparaging  word  against  Krzycki,  the  girl  almost 
scratched  out  his  eyes,  he  surmised  her  secret  and  deter- 
mined to  exploit  her,  not  only  for  the  good  of  the  cause  but 
also  for  his  own  personal  ends. 

Although  Pauly  was  not  the  servant  of  Pani  Otocka 
but  of  Miss  Anney,  she  nevertheless  dwelt  in  the  same 
house ;  so  he  could,  through  her,  secure  news  of  Marynia, 
which  he  craved  with  all  his  soul;  he  could  quiet  his 
fears  as  to  Krzycki's  intentions,  could  speak  of  her  and 
hear  her  name;  and  finally  could  gain  information  as  to 
when  and  where  he  could  see  her,  though  from  a  distance. 
And  he  questioned  Panna  Pauly  about  all  this;  at  first 
cautiously  and  casually,  afterwards  more  and  more,  and 
at  last  so  incessantly  that  this  began  to  surprise  and  anger 
her.  Prone  to  extremes,  and  more  capable  of  hatred 
than  affection,  she  worshipped,  by  way  of  exception, 
Marynia,  regarding  her  as  a  sort  of  supernal  being,  and 
this  worship  in  her  was  as  violent  as  was  her  hatred.  On 
the  other  hand,  on  the  ideal  path,  in  the  direction  of  uni- 
versal equality  and  dislike  of  the  higher  classes  she  made 
in  a  brief  time  considerable  progress.  She  could  not 
however,  cast  off  at  once  her  former  notions,  and  she  fre- 
quently had  sudden  relapses  to  them.  Hence  at  one  time, 
when  Laskowicz  as  usual  began  to  hurl  questions  at  her 
about  Panna  Marynia,  she  answered  him  testily : 

"  Why  are  you  always  talking  about  Panna  Zbyltowska  ?  " 


WHIRLPOOLS.  279 

"Perhaps  I  am  in  love  with  her,"  retorted  the  student, 
knitting  his  brow. 

At  this  her  eyes  in  a  moment  blazed  with  rage. 

"What  more  yet?" 

And  he  began  to  peer  at  her  keenly  and  asked : 

"Why  does  the  little  lady  say  'what  more  yet'  ?" 

"For  you  are  as  suited  for  her  as  I  am — " 

And  she  paused  abruptly,  but  he  finished : 

"To  Pan  Krzycki,  for  instance." 

Then  she  burst  into  a  greater  rage  yet. 

"  Why  do  you  meddle  in  matters  that  do  not  concern 
you?" 

"I  do  not  meddle  in  anything.  I  say  only  if  the  little 
lady  fell  in  love  with  him  and  if  I,  hearing  of  it,  said  *  What 
more  yet  ? '  that  would  be  disagreeable  to  the  little  lady  ? 
And  it  would  be  justly  disagreeable.  For  if  the  priests 
prate  that  it  is  permissible  to  love  even  God,  why  not  a 
human  being  ?  It  is  permissible  for  the  little  lady,  it  is  per- 
missible for  me,  it  is  permissible  for  everybody,  for  that  is 
the  law  of  nature  and  therefore  our  law." 

The  words  seconded  that  which  was  hidden  in  the  girl's 
heart  too  much  for  her  anger  to  remain,  so  she  only  glanced 
at  Laskowicz,  as  if  in  sorrow,  and  replied : 

"Eh !    Much  good  will  come  of  that  law !" 

"It  will  come  or  not  come,  in  time.  After  all,  if  we  ad- 
justed the  world  in  our  own  way,  no  dog  would  bark  at 
such  things.  Is  not  the  little  lady  worthy  of  Krzycki? 
Why  not?  Is  it  because  he  is  richer?  That  is  just  what 
we  are  trying  to  prevent.  Then  what  ?  Education  ?  Lady, 
spit  upon  it.  That  education  you  can  teach  to  a  monkey. 
It  is  he,  if  the  little  lady  wanted  him,  who  ought  yet  to 
kiss  the  little  lady's  feet." 

But  she  again  became  impatient  and  replied: 

"Idle  talk." 

"I  also  want  only  to  say  that  in  case  I  should  fall  in 


280  WHIRLPOOLS. 

love  with  Panna  Marynia  and  the  little  lady  with  Krzycki, 
our  lot  would  be  identical  and  the  wrong  the  same." 

"Wrong  in  what?" 

"In  the  vile  institutions  of  this  world;  in  this,  that  such 
riff-raff  as  ourselves  are  permitted  to  love  only  to  suffer,  and 
we  are  not  allowed  to  raise  our  eyes  even  upon  the  bour- 
geoisie, even  though  the  hearts  within  should  whine  like 
dogs." 

"True,"  answered  the  girl  through  set  teeth.  "But 
what  of  it?" 

"  This :  that  we  ought  to  give  to  each  other  our  hands, 
as  brother  and  sister,  and  not  be  angry  at  each  other,  but 
assist  one  another.  Who  knows  whether  one  may  not  be 
of  service  to  the  other?" 

"Eh !    In  what  way  can  we  help  each  other?" 

And  he  again  began  to  gaze  fixedly  at  her  with  his  eyes 
set  so  closely  to  each  other  and  said,  uttering  each  word 
slowly : 

"  I  do  not  know  whether  Krzycki  is  in  love  with  Panna 
Marynia  or  with  that  Englishwoman  whom  the  little  lady 
serves;  or  perhaps  with  neither  of  them." 

In  one  moment  Pauly's  face  was  covered  with  a  pallor ; 
afterwards  a  flame  passed  over  it,  which  in  turn  gave  way 
to  pallor.  In  her  soul  there  might  have  been  dumb  fears, 
but  up  to  that  time  she  had  dared  not  put  to  herself  any 
questions.  Those  ladies  were  entertained  in  Jastrzeb  as 
guests.  Pani  Otocka  and  Panna  Marynia  were  Krzycki's 
relatives;  therefore  there  was  nothing  unusual  in  their 
relations.  On  the  other  hand,  when  the  "  Englishwoman" 
in  Jastrzeb  drove  for  the  doctor  and  later  nursed  the 
wounded  man,  that  was  a  time  when  the  heart  of  the  girl 
raged  with  jealousy  and  uneasiness.  Afterwards  she  was 
placated  by  the  thought  that  such  a  young  nobleman  would 
not  wed  a  foreign  "intruder,"  no  matter  how  wealthy,  but, 
at  present,  jealousy  pierced  her  like  a  knife. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  281 

Laskowicz  continued: 

"The  little  lady  asked  in  what  way  we  can  help  one 
another,  did  she  not?" 

"Yes." 

"At  least  in  —  revenge," 

After  which,  he  changed  the  conversation. 

"Let  the  little  lady  come  to  me  and,  if  I  sometimes  in- 
quire about  anything,  let  her  not  get  angry.  If  at  times 
it  is  hard  for  her,  it  is  not  easy  for  me.  One  lot,  one 
wrong.  Let  the  little  lady  come.  I  do  not  want  to  live 
with  Swidwicki  any  longer.  He  is  a  peculiar  man.  I 
know  that  he  did  not  take  me  out  of  the  goodness  of  his 
heart,  but  as  he  placed  himself  in  peril  on  my  account  I 
must  endure  everything  from  him.  In  the  meantime  he 
so  maligns  our  party  that  I  feel  an  impulse  to  shoot  him  in 
the  head  or  stab  him  with  a  knife." 

"Why  do  you  argue  with  that  old  goat?" 

"Because  he  talks  and  I  must  listen.  Often  he  goads 
me  into  a  reply.  Somebody  else  for  lesser  things  would 
get  a  knife  under  the  ribs." 

"But  I  will  not  be  able  to  hide  you  a  second  time,  for  I 
do  not  know  where." 

"No.  I  myself  will  find  some  sort  of  hole;  I  have  al- 
ready thought  of  that.  Our  people  will  help.  I  now  have 
a  passport  and  am  bleached  yellow  on  the  head.  Some  of 
my  associates  could  not  recognize  me.  Even  if  I  am  caught 
they  will  not  try  me  as  Laskowicz  but  as  Zaranczko  of 
Bessarabia,  unless  some  one  should  betray  me,  but  such 
there  is  not  among  us." 

"Only  be  careful,  sir,  and  when  you  know  where  to  hide, 
let  me  know.    I  will  not  betray." 

"I  know,  I  know;  such  do  not  betray." 

After  which  he  suddenly  asked : 

"Why  does  not  the  little  lady  want  to  agree  that  we 
should  call  each  other 'associates'?  Amongst  us  we  all 
speak  that  way." 


282  WHIRLPOOLS. 

But  she  rebuffed  him  at  once. 

"I  told  you  once  I  cannot  endure  that." 

"Ah,  if  it  is  so,  then  it  is  hard." 

Pauly  began  to  prepare  for  home.  Laskowicz  on 
the  leave-taking  made  a  second  departure  from  the  cus- 
toms governing  his  associates,  for  he  kissed  her  hand. 
Previously  he  had  noticed  that  this  raised  her  in  her  own 
eyes;  that  it  flattered  her  and  brought  her  into  a  good 
humor.  Although  not  by  nature  over-intelligent,  he  ob- 
served that  the  principles  of  the  Party  alone  would  not  en- 
tirely hold  her,  and  that  he  would  have  in  that  girl  an  aid 
capable  of  all  extremes,  but  only  so  far  as  her  own  per- 
sonality entered  into  the  play.  This  lowered  the  opinion 
which  he  held  of  her  and  his  gratitude  to  her.  He  never- 
theless submitted  to  this  despotism,  remembering  that  he 
owed  to  her  his  life. 

At  present  he  had,  besides,  a  favor  to  ask  of  her;  so  at 
the  door  he  kissed  her  hand  a  second  time  and  said : 

"  Panna  Pauly  —  the  same  lot,  the  same  wrong.  Let  the 
little  lady  answer  yet  one  more  question.  Where  can  I  see 
though  from  a  distance  —  though  from  a  distance — " 

"Whom?"  she  asked,  knitting  her  brows. 

"Panna  Marynia." 

"If  from  a  distance,  then  I  will  tell,"  she  replied  re- 
luctantly. "The  little  lady  is  to  play  for  the  starving 
working  people  and  at  noon  goes  to  the  rehearsals." 

"Alone?" 

"No,  with  Pani  Otocka  or  with  my  mistress;  but  some- 
times with  one  of  us  servants." 

"Thank  you." 

"But  only  from  a  distance  —  do  you  understand,  sir, 
—  for  otherwise  you  will  fare  badly." 

And  after  these  words,  which  sounded  like  a  men- 
ace, she  left  him.  The  next  moment  Laskowicz  heard 
through  the  door  Swidwicki's  voice  and  laughter,  after 


WHIRLPOOLS.  283 

which  something  resembling  a  scuffle,  a  suppressed  scream, 
and  —  the  sound  of  hasty  footsteps  on  the  stairs ;  finally 
Swidwicki  stumbled  into  the  room,  drunk. 

"What  were  you  doing  here?"  he  asked. 

"Nothing,"  answered  Laskowicz. 

And  he  began  to  scan  the  room,  evidently  desiring  to 
satisfy  himself  whether  he  could  not  detect  some  signs  of 
disorder,  and  repeated: 

"Nothing!" 

"I  give  you  my  word  of  honor,"  the  student  exclaimed 
with  energy. 

At  this  Swidwicki  leered  at  him,  fingering  his  disheveled 
beard  and  said: 

"Then  you  are  a  fool !" 

After  which  he  flung  himself  upon  the  sofa,  for  he  had 
partaken  of  a  sumptuous  breakfast  and  was  sleepy. 


284  WHIRLPOOLS. 


Ill 

Laskowicz's  extreme  fanaticsm  could  not  in  reality  harmo- 
nize with  the  extreme  cynical  scepticism  of  Swidwicki,  who 
in  addition  took  advantage  of  the  situation  not  only 
beyond  measure,  but  to  the  point  of  cruelty.  He  himself 
spoke  of  it  and  boasted  about  it  to  Gronski,  when  he  met 
him  in  the  restaurant,  to  which  Gronski  went  after  Krzycki's 
removal. 

"I  have  enough  of  my  revolutionary  maggot,"  he  said, 
"I  have  enough  of  him,  especially  since  I  have  satisfied 
myself  that  personally  he  is  honest  and  will  not  pilfer  any 
money  from  my  pocket-book.  From  that  time  he  has 
bored  me.  As  for  harboring  such  a  simpleton  one  might 
go  to  Siberia.  I  regarded  it  in  the  beginning  as  a  species 
of  sport.  I  thought  I  would  have  a  permanent  sensation 
of  a  certain  anxiety  and,  in  the  meantime,  I  have  not  ex- 
perienced anything  of  the  kind.  The  only  satisfaction 
which  I  have  is  to  point  out  to  him  his  own  stupidity  and 
that  of  his  party.    By  that  I  drive  him  to  rabidness." 

"But  that  he  cares  to  argue  with  you — " 

"He  does  not  want  to  but  is  unable  to  restrain  himself. 
His  temperament  and  fanaticism  carry  him  away." 

"At  one  time  I  met  a  similar  individual,"  answered 
Gronski,  "and  not  very  long  ago  —  out  in  the  country, 
in  Jastrzeb.  He  was  a  student,  a  tutor  of  Stas,  whom 
Krzycki  later  discharged  because  he  incited  the  field  hands 
and  was  an  agitator  among  peasants  of  the  neighborhood." 

"Ah,"  ejaculated,  with  a  strange  smile,  Swidwicki,  to 
whom  it  occurred  that  Pauly  also  was  at  Jastrzeb. 

"What?    Why  do  jou  smile?"  asked  Gronski. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  285 

"Oh,  nothing.    Speak  further." 

"I  rode  with  him  once  to  the  city  and  on  the  way  had 
quite  a  chat  with  him." 

"According  to  your  habit." 

"According  to  my  habit.  Now  among  empty  phrases, 
which  only  dull  minds  would  accept  as  genuine  coin,  he 
said  some  interesting  things.  I  learned  a  little  about  the 
angle  from  which  they  view  the  world." 

"My  maggot  at  times  says  interesting  things.  Yesterday 
I  led  him  into  the  admission  that  socialists  of  the  pure 
water  regard  as  their  greatest  enemies  the  peasants  and 
the  radical  members  of  the  bourgeoisie.  I  began  to  pour 
oil  on  the  fire  and  he  unbosomed  himself.  An  unsophisti- 
cated peasant  aspires  to  ownership,  and  that  aspiration 
the  devil  cannot  eradicate,  and  as  to  the  bourgeoisie  he 
spoke  thus:  'What  harm,'  he  said,  'do  these  few  nobles 
and  priests  who  infest  the  world  do  to  us  ?  Our  enemy  is 
the  bourgeois,  rich  or  poor.  Our  enemy  is  the  radical, 
who  thinks  that  as  soon  as  he  shouts  that  he  does  not 
believe  in  God  and  priests  that  he  buys  us.  Our  enemy  is 
that  boaster,  who  speaks  in  the  name  of  the  common 
people  and  is  ready  to  tickle  us  under  the  armpits,  so  that 
we  should  smile  on  him.  He  is  the  one  who  fawns  on  us, 
like  a  dog  at  a  roll  of  butter,  and  preserves  all  the  instincts 
of  a  bourgeois.'  And  he  chattered  further  until  I  said :  'Hold 
onl  Why,  you  are  with  the  radicals  "fratres  Helenae!" 
And  he  to  this :  '  That  is  not  true !  The  radical,  wealthy 
bourgeois,  who  from  fear  dyes  in  red  and  borrows  the 
standard  and  methods  from  us,  introduces  confusion  in 
minds  and  drabbles  in  the  mud  our  idea;  and  the  poor 
one,  if  he  annually  saves  even  the  smallest  amount,  injures 
us  for  he  offers  to  work  at  a  lower  price  than  the  pure 
proletaire,  who  always  is  as  poor  as  Job.  We,'  he  said,  'will 
put  the  knife,  above  all  things,  to  the  throats  of  the  bour- 
geois for  latent  treachery  lurks  in  him.'     Thus  he  chat- 


286  WHIRLPOOLS. 

tered  and  I  was  willing  to  concede  justice  to  him,  if  in 
general  I  believed  in  justice,  but  I  did  not  concede  it  yet 
for  another  reason,  and  that  is,  he  is  too  stupid  to  have 
reasoned  out  such  things.  It  was  evident  that  he  repeated 
what  others  taught  him.  In  fact  I  did  not  neglect  to  tell 
him  so." 

Further  discussion  was  interrupted  by  the  arrival  of 
Dolhanski  who,  observing  Gronski,  approached  him, 
although  he  disliked  to  meet  Swidwicki. 

"How  are  you?"  he  said,  "My  ladies  took  a  trip  to 
Czestochowo;  so  I  am  free.  Will  you  permit  me  to  be 
seated  with  you?" 

"Certainly,  certainly.    Why,  these  are  your  last  days." 

"It  would  be  worth  while  even  for  that  reason  to  drink 
a  little  bottle,"  observed  Swidwicki,  "particularly  as  it  is, 
besides,  my  birthday." 

"If  the  calendar  was  a  wine-cellar  and  the  dates  in 
it  bottles,  then  your  birthday  would  occur  every  day," 
answered  Gronski. 

"I  swear  to  you  upon  everything  at  which  I  jeer,  that, 
contrary  to  my  habit  and  inclination,  this  time  I  speak  the 
truth." 

Saying  this,  he  nodded  to  the  waiter  and  ordered  him  to 
bring  two  bottles,  calculating  that  afterwards  more  would 
be  forthcoming.    In  the  meantime  Dolhanski  said : 

"I  met  Krzycki  to-day.  He  looks  poorly;  somehow 
not  himself,  and  he  told  me  that  he  does  not  live  with  you 
but  in  a  hotel.    Did  you  by  chance  quarrel?" 

"No.  But  he  moved  away  from  me  and  Pani  Krzycki 
from  Pani  Otocka's." 

"There  is  some  kind  of  epidemic,"  exclaimed  Swid- 
wicki, "for  my  cutthroat  is  leaving  me." 

"Perhaps  something  has  passed  between  Krzycki  and 
Miss  Anney,"  said  Dolhanski.  "I  supposed  that  they  were 
getting  quite  intimate.    Did  they  part  —  or  what?" 


WHIRLPOOLS.  287 

"A  marchpane,  that  EngHshwoman,"  interrupted  Swid- 
wicki;    "but  her  maid  has  more  electricity  in  her." 

Gronski  hesitated  for  a  while ;   after  which  he  said : 

"No,  they  have  not  parted,  but  something  has  occurred. 
I  do  not  know  why  I  should  make  a  secret  of  that  which, 
sooner  or  later,  you  will  find  out.  It  has  developed  that  Miss 
Anney  is  not  the  born,  but  adopted,  child  of  the  rich  Eng- 
lish manufacturer,  lately  deceased,  Mr.  Anney,  and  of  his 
late  wife." 

"Well,  if  the  adoption  gives  her  all  the  rights,  and  partic- 
ularly the  right  of  inheritance,  is  it  not  all  the  same  to 
Krzycki?" 

"The  adoption  gives  her  all  rights;  nevertheless  it  is 
not  entirely  the  same  to  Krzycki,  for  it  appears  that  Miss 
Anney  is  the  daughter  of  a  blacksmith  of  Rzeslewo  and  is 
named  Hanka  Skibianka." 

"Ha!"  cried  Swidwicki,  "Perdita  has  been  found  but 
not  the  king's  daughter.  What  does  the  pretty  Florizel 
say  to  this?" 

But  Dolhanski  began  to  stare  at  Gronski  as  if  he  saw 
him  for  the  first  time  in  his  life. 

"What  are  you  saying?" 

"The  actual  fact." 

"Sapristi!  But  that  is  a  nursery  tale.  Sapristi !  You  are 
joking." 

"  I  give  you  my  word  it  is  so.  She  herself  told  that  to 
Krzycki." 

"I  like  that  expression  of  astonishment  on  Dolhanski's 
face,"  exclaimed  Swidwicki.     "Man,  come  to  yourself." 

Dolhanski  restrained  himself,  for  he  always  proclaimed 
that  a  true  gentleman  never  should  be  surprised. 

"I  remember  now,"  he  said,  "that  this  is  the  Skibianka 
to  whom  Uncle  Zarnowski  bequeathed  a  few  thousand 
roubles." 

"The  same." 


288  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"Therefore  his  daughter." 

"Fancy  to  yourself  otherwise.  Skiba  came  from  Gahcia 
to  Rzeslowo  with  a  wife  and  a  child  a  few  years   old." 

"Therefore  of  pure  peasant  blood." 

"A  Piast's^  a  Piast's,"  cried  Swidwicki. 

"Absolutely  pure,"  answered  Gronski. 

"And  what  does  Laudie  say?" 

"  He  swallowed  the  tidings  and  is  trying  to  digest  them," 
again  blurted  out  Swidwicki. 

"That  substantially  is  the  case.  He  found  himself  in 
a  new  situation  and  locked  himself  up.  It  dumfounded 
him  a  little,  and  he  desires  to  come  to  himself." 

"He  was  enamoured  to  the  point  of  ludicrousness  but 
now  he  will  probably  break  off." 

"  I  do  not  admit  that,  but  I  repeat,  that,  in  view  of  the 
changed  situation,  he  has  fallen  into  a  certain  internal  strife, 
which  he  must  first  quell." 

"I  candidly  confess  that  I  would  break  off  all  relations 
unconditionally." 

"But  if  Kaska  or  Hanka  had  a  hundred  thousand 
pounds?"  asked  Swidwicki. 

"In  such  a  case — I  would  have  fallen  into  a  strife," 
answered  Dolhanski,  phlegmatically. 

After  a  while  he  continued : 

"  For  it  seems  that  it  is  nothing,  but  in  life  it  may  appear 
to  be  something.  Omitting  the  various  cousins,  'Mats' 
and  'Jacks,'  who  undoubtedly  will  be  found;  there 
also  will  be  found  dissimilar  instincts,  dissimilar  dis- 
positions, and  dissimilar  tastes.  Why,  the  deuce !  I  would 
not  want  a  wife  who  suddenly  might  be  ruled  by  an  un- 
expected passion  for  amber  rosaries,  for  shelling  peas,  for 
swingling  flax,  for  picking  fruit,  or  for  gathering  mush- 
rooms, not  to  say  berries  and  nuts,  and  walking  barefooted." 

1  Piast;  the  name  of  the  first  King  of  Poland,  who  was  a 
peasant. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  289 

Here  he  turned  to  Gronski. 

"Shrug  your  shoulders,  but  it  is  so." 

"That  would  not  shock  me,"  said  Swidwicki,  "only,  if 
I  were  to  marry  Miss  Anney,  I  would  just  stipulate  that 
she  at  times  should  go  about  barefooted.  When  I  am  in 
the  country,  nothing  affects  me  so  much  as  the  sight  of 
the  bare  feet  of  girls.  It  is  true  that  they  often  have  ery- 
sipelas about  the  ankles,  which  comes  from  the  prickle 
of  the  stubblefields.  But  I  assume  that  Miss  Anney  has 
not  got  erysipelas." 

"One  cannot  talk  with  you  in  a  dignified  manner." 

"Why?"  replied  Swidwicki.  "Let  Krzycki  now 
clip  coupons  from  his  dignity  but  not  we.  Did  you  say 
that  he  belongs  to  the  National  Democrats  ?  " 

"No,  not  I.  But  what  connection  has  that  with  Miss 
Anney?" 

"Oh,  —  oh,  a  nobleman  —  a  National  Democrat  —  has 
found  out  that  his  flame  has  peasant  blood  in  her  veins  and 
nevertheless  his  belly  on  that  account  has  begun  to  ache; 
nevertheless,  he  is  stung  by  that  deminutio  capitis." 

"Who  told  you  that?  Besides,  it  should  be  permutatio, 
not  deminutio." 

"Yes !  The  English  wares  take  on  the  appearance  of  a 
domestic  product  and  fall  in  value.    Justly,  justly." 

"Do  you  know  who  could  with  perfect  independence 
enter  into  a  marriage  under  such  conditions?"  asked 
Dolhanski.    "A  truly  great  gentlemen." 

"But  not  Polish,"  exclaimed  Swidwicki. 

"There  you  are  already  beginning!    Why  not  Polish?" 

"Because  a  Polish  gentleman  has  not  sufficient  faith  in 
his  own  blood;  he  plainly  has  not  sufficient  pride  to  be- 
lieve that  he  will  elevate  a  woman  to  himself  and  not 
lower  himself  to  her." 

Gronski  began  to  laugh: 

"I  did  not  expect  that  charge  from  your  lips,"  he  said. 

19 


290  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"Why?  I  am  an  individualist,  and  in  so  far  as  I  do  not 
regard  myself  as  a  specimen  of  the  basest  race,  so  far  do 
I  regard  myself  as  a  specimen  of  the  best.  According 
to  me  one  belongs  to  the  aristocracy  only  through  lucky 
chance ;  that  is,  when  one  brings  into  the  world  a  suitable 
profile  and  corresponding  brain.  But  Dolhanski,  for 
instance,  in  so  far  as  he  has  not  purchased  portraits  of  an- 
cestors at  an  auction  —  and  our  other  gentlemen  —  judge 
that  blood  constitutes  that  appurtenance.  Now  granting 
these  premises,  I  contend  that  our  tories  do  not  know  how 
to  be  proud  of  their  blood." 

"At  home,"  said  Gronski,  "you  vent  your  spleen  upon 
the  socialists,  and  here  you  wish  to  vent  it  upon  the  aris- 
tocracy." 

"That  does  not  diminish  my  merits.  I  have  a  few  pretty 
remarks  for  the  National  Democracy." 

"I  know,  I  know.  But  how  will  you  prove  that  which 
you  said  about  the  Polish  tories  ?" 

"How  will  I  prove  it?  By  the  Socratic  method  — 
with  the  aid  of  questions.  Did  you  ever  observe  when  a 
Polish  gentleman  abroad  becomes  acquainted  wuth  a 
Frenchman  or  Englishman  ?  I,  while  I  had  money,  passed 
winters  in  Nice  or  in  Cairo  and  saw  a  number  of  them.  Now, 
every  time  I  propounded  to  myself  the  question  which  now 
I  put  to  you:  why  the  devil  it  is  not  the  Frenchman  or 
Englishman  who  tries  to  please  the  Pole,  but  the  Pole 
them  ?  Why  is  it  that  only  the  Pole  fawns,  only  the  Pole 
coquets  ?  Because  he  is  almost  ashamed  of  his  descent ;  and 
if  by  chance  a  Frenchman  tells  him  that  from  his  accent  he 
took  him  for  a  Frenchman,  or  an  Englishman  takes  him 
for  an  Englishman,  then  he  melts  with  joy,  like  butter  in  a 
frying-pan !  Ah,  I  have  seen  such  coquettes  by  the  score 
—  and  it  is  an  old  story.  Such  coquetry,  for  instance, 
Stanislaus  Augustus*    possessed.      At   home,    the    Polish 

1  Stanislaus  Augustus  Poniatowski,  the  last  king  of  Poland. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  291 

gentleman  at  times  knows  how  to  hold  his  nose  high. 
Before  a  foreigner  he  is  on  both  paws.  Is  not  that  a  lack 
of  pride  in  his  own  race,  in  his  own  blood,  in  his  own  tradi- 
tions ?  If  you  have  the  slightest  grain  of  a  sense  of  justice, 
even  though  no  larger  than  the  grain  of  caviar,  you  must 
admit  the  justice  of  my  remarks.  As  to  myself,  I  have  been 
ashamed  sometimes  that  I  am  a  Pole." 

"That  means  that  you  committed  the  same  sin  with  which 
you  charge  others,"  replied  Gronski.  "If  the  tips  of  the 
wings  of  our  eagle  reached  both  seas,  as  at  one  time  they 
did,  perhaps  Poles  might  be  different.  But  at  present  — 
tell  me  —  of  what  are  they  to  be  proud  ?" 

"You  are  twisting  things.  I  am  speaking  of  racial 
pride  only,  not  political,"  answered  Swidwicki.  "After  all, 
may  the  devils  take  them.    I  prefer  to  drink." 

"Say  what  you  will,"  asserted  Dolhanski,  "but  I  will 
merely  tell  you  this:  if  internal  affairs  were  exclusively 
in  their  hands,  some  fooleries  might  take  place,  but  we 
would  not  be  fried  in  the  sauce  in  which  we  are  fried 
to-day." 

Swidwicki  turned  to  him  with  eyes  glistening  already 
a  little  abnormally. 

"My  dear  sir,"  he  said,  "in  order  to  govern  a  country  it 
is  necessary  to  have  one  of  three  things :  either  the  greatest 
number,  which  the  canaille  has  behind  it  —  I  beg  pardon, 
I  should  have  said  the  Democracy  —  or  the  greatest  sound 
sense,  which  nobody  amongst  us  possesses,  or  the  most 
money,  which  the  Jews  have.  And  as  I  have  demonstrated 
that  our  great  gentlemen  do  not  even  have  any  sentiment 
of  traditions,  therefore  what  have  they?" 

"At  least  good  manners,  which  you  lack,"  retorted 
Dolhanski  with  aversion. 

"No.  I  will  tell  you  what  they  have  —  if  not  all  of  them, 
then  the  second  or  third  one :  but  I  will  tell  it  to  you  in  a 
whisper,  so  as  not  to  shock  Gronski's  virgin  ears." 


292  WHIRLPOOLS. 

And  leaning  over  to  Dolhanski,  he  whispered  a  word  to 
him,  after  which  he  snorted,  mahciously : 

"I  do  not  say  that  that  is  nothing,  but  it  is  not  suflBcient 
to  govern  the  country  with," 

But  Dolhanski  frowned  and  said: 

"If  that  is  so,  then  you  surely  belong  to  the  highest 
aristocracy." 

"  Of  course  !  certainly !  I  have  a  diploma  certified  a  few 
years  ago  in  Aix-la-chapelle,  the  place  of  the  coronation  !" 

Saying  this,  he  again  quaffed  his  wine  and  continued  with 
a  kind  of  feverish  gayety: 

"Ah,  permit  me  to  rail,  permit  me  to  scoff  at  men  and 
things !  I  always  do  that  internally  but  at  times  I  must 
expectorate  the  gall.  Permit  me !  For  after  all,  I  am  a 
Pole,  and  for  a  Pole  there  perhaps  cannot  be  a  greater 
pleasure  than  defacing,  belittling,  pecking  at,  calumniat- 
ing, spitting  on,  and  pulling  down  statues  from  the  pedestals. 
Republican  tradition,  is  it  not?  In  addition  Providence 
so  happily  arranged  it  that  a  Pole  loves  that  the  most,  and 
when  he  himself  is  concerned,  he  feels  it  most  acutely. 
A  delightful  society!" 

"You  are  mistaken,"  replied  Gronski,  "for  in  that  re- 
spect we  have  changed  prodigiously  and  in  proof  of  it,  I 
will  cite  one  instance:  When  the  painter  Limiatycki  re- 
ceived for  his  '  Golgotha '  a  grand  medal  in  Paris,  all  the 
local  little  brushes  at  once  fumed  at  him.  So  meeting 
him,  I  asked  him  whether  he  intended  to  retaliate,  and  he 
replied  to  me  with  the  greatest  serenity :  '  I  am  serving  my 
fatherland  and  art,  but  only  stupidity  cannot  understand 
that,  while  only  turpitude  will  not  understand  it.'  And 
he  was  right,  for  whoever  has  any  kind  of  wings  at  his 
shoulders  and  can  raise  himself  a  little  in  the  air,  need  not 
pay  attention  to  the  mud  of  the  streets." 

"Tut,  tut;  mud  is  a  purely  native  product,  the  same  as 
other  symptoms  of  your  national  culture,  namely:    filth, 


WHIRLPOOLS.  293 

scandals,  envy,  folly,  indolence,  big  words  and  little  deeds, 
cheap  politics,  brawling,  a  relish  for  mass-meetings,  bandit- 
ism,  revolvers,  and  bombs;  if  I  wanted  to  mention  every- 
thing I  would  not  finish  until  late  at  night." 

"Then  I  will  throw  in  for  you  a  few  more  things,"  said 
Gronski ;  "drunkenness,  cynicism,  a  stupid  pose  of  despair, 
thoughtless  hypercriticism,  scoffing  at  misfortune,  fouling 
one's  own  nest,  spitting  at  blood  and  suffering,  undermining 
faith  in  the  future,  and  blasphemy  against  the  nation. 
Have  you  yet  enough?" 

"I  have  not  enough  of  wine.  Order  some  more,  order 
some  more!" 

"I  will  not  order  any  more  wine,  but  I  will  tell  yet  more, 
that  you  err  in  claiming  that  these  are  native  products. 
They  are  brought  by  a  certain  wind  which  evidently  has 
fanned  you." 

But  Swidwicki,  who  this  time  had  no  desire  to  quarrel 
but  did  have  a  desire  to  drink,  evidently  wishing  to  change 
the  subject  of  the  conversation,  unexpectedly  exclaimed: 

"Apropos  of  winds,  what  a  pity  that  such  sensible  people 
as  the  Prussians  commit  one  gross  blunder." 

Gronski,  who  had  already  risen  to  bid  him  farewell,  was 
overcome  temporarily  by  curiosity. 

"What  blunder?"    he  asked. 

"That  they  assume  super-villeiny  to  be  superhumanity." 

"  In  this  you  are  right." 

"I  feel  a  contempt  for  myself  as  often  as  I  am  right." 

"Then  we  will  leave  you  with  your  wine  and  your  con- 
tempt." 

Saying  this,  Gronski  nodded  to  Dolhanski  and  they  de- 
parted. Swidwicki's  last  words,  however,  caused  him  to 
reflect;   so  after  a  while  he  said: 

"  Now  people's  minds  are  haunted  by  the  Prussians  and 
they  are  reminded  of  them  by  the  slightest  cause.  After 
all,  Swidwicki's  description  of  them  was  apposite." 


294  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"If  you  knew  how  little  I  am  interested  in  Swidwicki's 
descriptions." 

"Nevertheless,  you  vie  with  him  and  talk  in  a  similar 
strain,"  answered  Gronski. 

After  which,  pursuing  further  the  train  of  his  thoughts, 
he  said : 

"Nietzsche  also  did  not  perceive  that  the  susceptibility 
and  appreciation  of  other  people's  woes  becomes  mani- 
fest only  upon  the  culmination  of  the  creative.  .  ." 

"Good,  good,  but  at  this  moment  I  am  more  interested 
in  what  Krzycki  is  going  to  do  about  Miss  Anney." 

Dolhanski,  who  could  not  endure  Swidwicki,  would 
have  been  sorely  afflicted,  if  he  had  suspected  that  the 
same  question  occurred  to  the  latter's  mind. 

Remaining  alone,  Swidwicki  recalled  Gronski's  recital 
and  began  to  laugh,  as  the  thought  of  such  unusual  com- 
plications amused  him  immensely.  He  imagined  to  him- 
self what  excitement  must  have  prevailed  at  Krzycki's 
and  at  Pani  Otocka's,  and  how  far  the  affair  would  agitate 
the  circles  of  their  relatives  and  acquaintances.  And  sud- 
denly he  began  to  soliloquize  in  the  following  manner: 

"And  if  I  paid  Miss  Anney  a  visit?  It  even  behooves 
me  to  leave  her  a  card.  That  would  be  eminently  proper. 
I  may  not  find  her  in  —  that  does  not  matter  much,  but 
if  I  should  find  her  in,  I  will  try  to  see  whether  her  legs  are 
not  too  bulky  at  the  ankles.  For  culture,  education,  even 
polish  may  be  acquired,  but  delicate  ligaments  of  the  legs 
and  hands  it  is  necessary  to  inherit  through  a  whole  series 
of  generations.  That  furious  Pauly,  nevertheless,  has  a 
sufficiently  thin  ligature.  The  devil,  however,  knows  who 
her  father  was,  I  will  go.  If  I  do  not  find  one,  I  shall 
find  the  other." 

And  he  went.  He  was  admitted  not  by  the  man-servant 
but  by  Pauly;  so  he  smiled  at  her  in  his  most  ingratiating 
manner  and  said : 


WHIRLPOOLS.  295 

"Good-day,  pretty  fennel-flower!  Is  Panna  Hanka 
Skibianka  at  home?" 

"What  Hanka  Skibianka?"   she  asked  in  surprise. 

"Then,  the  Httle  lady  does  not  know  the  great  tidings?" 

'What  great  tidings?    I  do  not  know  any." 

"That  the  mistress  of  the  little  lady  is  not  named  Miss 
Anney?" 

"Do  not  upset  our  heads." 

"I  give  the  little  lady  my  word  of  honor.  Ask  Pan 
Gronski,  or  Pan  Krzycki,  who  is  chewing  off  his  fingers 
from  mortification.  I  give  you  my  word  of  honor.  I  also 
could  tell  you  more,  but  if  the  little  lady  is  not  curious  I 
will  go.    Here  is  my  card  for  Panna  Ski-bian-ka." 

The  eyes  of  the  girl  sparkled  with  curiosity.  She  took 
the  card  mechanically. 

"I  do  not  say  that  you  should  go,  but  I  do  not  believe," 
she  said  hurriedly. 

"And  I  know  yet  more." 

"What  is  it?" 

"I  will  whisper  it  in  your  ear." 

It  did  not  occur  to  Pauly  that  there  was  no  necessity 
for  Swidwicki  speaking  in  a  whisper.  She  leaned  towards 
him  with  a  palpitating  heart  and,  though  he  flooded  her 
with  his  breath,  saturated  with  the  odor  of  wine,  she  did 
not  withdraw  her  head. 

"What  is  it?"  she  repeated. 

"That  Panna  Skibianka  is  a  peasant  woman  from 
Zarnow !" 

"That  is  untrue!" 

"As  I  love  God." 

And,  saying  this,  he  suddenly  smacked  her  ear  with  a 
broad  kiss. 


296  WHIRLPOOLS. 


IV 

Miss  Anney's  letter  bore  the  impress  of  extraordinary 
simplicity.  At  the  beginning  she  said  that  from  the  mo- 
ment when  he  proposed  for  her  hand  she  was  compelled 
to  reveal  her  former  name;  while  in  the  continuation  it 
contained  an  equally  simple  account  of  herself  and  her 
family  from  the  time  of  their  departure  from  Rzeslewo. 
This  sad  course  of  events  she  related  in  the  following 
words : 

"My  father  came  from  Galicia  and  had  in  America 
relatives  of  whom  he  heard  that  through  labor  they  had 
amassed  fortunes.  Learning  of  this,  he  decided  to  settle 
there  also  and  seek  his  fortune  beyond  the  ocean.  We  left 
Rzeslewo  at  a  time  when  you  were  in  Warsaw.  I  knew 
how  to  write  as  I  was  taught  that  in  the  manor-house,  and 
would  have  informed  you  about  this  if  I  had  known  your 
address.  We  went,  not  saying  anything  to  anybody,  to 
Hamburg,  and  at  that  place  there  occurred  what  often 
happens  to  peasant  emigrants.  The  agent  tricked  us,  de- 
frauded us  of  our  money,  and  placed  us  on  a  vessel  bound 
not  for  America  but  for  England.  Thrown  upon  the  pave- 
ments of  London,  we  soon  fell  into  dire  want.  For  the 
passage  to  America  there  now  was  no  means.  My  mother 
died  of  typhoid  fever  in  a  hospital  and  father,  from  de- 
spair and  nostalgia,  declined  rapidly  in  health.  Under 
these  circumstances  we  were  found  by  Mr.  Anney,  one  of 
the  best  and  noblest  men  in  the  world,  a  friend  and  patron 
of  the  Poles,  who  gave  us  employment.  But  the  succor 
came  too  late,  and  my  father  died  in  the  course  of  a  year. 
I  remained  in  the  factory  and  worked  in  it  until  the  acci- 


WHIRLPOOLS.  297 

dent  which  changed  my  status  entirely.  The  Anney 
family  had  only  one  child,  a  daughter,  whom  they  loved 
beyond  everything  in  the  world  and  surrounded  with  a 
solicitude  all  the  greater  because  she  was  threatened  by  a 
pulmonary  ailment.  Once  it  happened  that  Miss  Anney, 
while  visiting  the  factory,  was  almost  carried  away  by  the 
driving-wheel  of  the  machinery.  I  rushed  to  her  assistance, 
imperilling  a  little  my  own  life,  and  from  that  time  the 
gratitude  of  the  Anney  family  for  me  had  no  bounds. 
They  took  me  from  the  factory  to  themselves,  and  in  this 
manner  I  became  the  companion  and  afterwards  the  bosom 
friend  of  their  daughter.  A  Pole,  an  emigrant  of  the  year 
'63,  a  friend  of  Mr.  Anney  and  a  man  well  educated, 
taught  us  both,  and  me,  separately,  in  Polish.  I  endeavored 
to  benefit,  as  much  as  lay  in  my  power,  from  these  lessons, 
and  after  two  years  was  able  to  approach  a  little  the  intel- 
lectual plane  of  my  friend  and  my  environment.  But 
Agnes  —  for  such  was  the  Christian  name  of  Miss  Anney 
—  began  to  fail  in  her  health.  Then  Mr.  Anney  sold  his 
factory  and  we  all,  including  our  instructor,  removed  to 
Italy.  There  about  three  years  were  passed  in  a  search  for 
the  best  climate  for  our  dearest  patient.  All  efforts  proved 
unavailing,  however,  as  God  took  His  angel  unto  Himself. 
After  Agnes'  death,  the  Anneys,  remembering  that  I  loved 
with  my  whole  soul  our  dead  one,  adopted  me  as  their  own 
child  and  gave  me  not  only  their  family  name,  but  desir- 
ing to  overcome  their  despair,  suffering,  and  sorrow,  even 
the  Christian  name  of  the  deceased.  Nevertheless,  the 
sorrow  could  not  be  overcome,  and  though  I  tried  with  my 
whole  heart  to  be  to  them  some  sort  of  comfort  in  life,  in 
the  course  of  two  years  both  followed  their  greatest  love. 

"And  this  is  the  end  of  my  history.  And  after  that  came 
those  events  which  brought  me  nearer  to  you;  therefore  I 
desire  to  justify  my  conduct  in  your  eyes.  I  have  a  right  to 
the  name  which  I  bear,  and  my  life  from  the  time  of  the 


298  WHIRLPOOLS. 

departure  from  Rzeslewo  has  been  pure.  Conscience  re- 
proaches me  with  only  one  new  error.  This  was  that  I  did 
not  confess  to  the  Anneys  that  I  already  was  unworthy  of 
their  care.  But  for  such  a  confession  I  lacked  strength.  I 
loved  too  much  my  Agnes  and  feared  that  they  would 
separate  me  from  her.  Later  I  did  not  want  to  add  to 
their  affliction.  I  did  not  have  the  strength.  At  times, 
also,  I  think  that  now  when  they  look  upon  me  from  heaven 
and  see  everything,  they  forgive  me  for  keeping  that  se- 
cret. Beyond  this  I  once  more  repeat  and  swear  that  my 
life  has  been  pure.  But  in  my  memory  I  have  only  coffins 
and  coffins,  and  of  my  Rzeslewo  days  there  remains  to 
me  only  the  recollection  of  you.  I  could  not  forget  either 
my  sin  or  my  happiness.  Often  during  the  life  of  my 
adopted  sister,  while  gazing  into  her  chaste  eyes,  I  strug- 
gled with  remorse,  and  at  the  same  time  I  wept  from  in- 
tense longing.  After  that,  being  left  alone  in  the  world,  I 
had  nothing  to  cherish  in  my  heart,  and  I  began  to  yearn 
yet  more.  When,  after  the  death  of  the  Anneys,  I  became 
acquainted  and  grew  intimate  with  Zosia  Otocka  in  Brus- 
sels, I  accidentally  learned  from  a  conversation  that  she  was 
your  relative.  Then  I  related  to  her  my  entire  life,  not 
concealing  anything,  and  she  not  only  did  not  spurn  me, 
but  loved  me  yet  more.  Emboldened  by  her  goodness,  I 
confessed  to  her  my  longing  for  the  old  days  and  Rzes- 
lewo. Perhaps  it  may  be  a  new  fault  on  my  part  that  I 
confided  to  Zosia  my  insurmountable  desire  of  seeing  yet 
once  more  in  my  life,  Jastrzeb,  Rzeslewo,  and  —  why 
should  I  not  state  the  whole  truth  ?  —  and  you.  Then  Zosia 
said  to  me :  '  I  understand  you ;  ride  with  me  to  Jastrzeb 
as  Miss  Anney,  as  you  cannot  do  otherwise.  Nobody 
will  recognize  you  and  you  will  take  a  reckoning  with  your 
own  heart.  Perhaps  reality  may  extinguish  the  rainbow 
of  recollections.  If  they  are  assuaged  forever,  so  much 
the  better  for  you;  if  he  should  fall  in  love  with  you,  so 


WHIRLPOOLS.  299 

much  the  M^orse  for  him ;  if  your  former  echoes  reawaken, 
then  we  will  assume  that  this  was  predestination.'  Such 
was  Zosia's  advice,  and  for  that  reason,  when  your  mother 
invited  her  and  Marynia,  I  also  accompanied  them  to 
Jastrzeb.  But  I  do  not  wish  to  pass  for  any  better  than  I 
am.  I  confess  hat  on  the  road  I  always  had  in  mind 
Zosia's  words :  '  If  he  falls  in  love  with  you,  so  much  the 
worse  for  him,'  and  I  wished  that  to  happen.  I  was  cer- 
tain that  you  had  entirely  forgotten  me,  and  I  thought  that 
if  now  you  fell  in  love  with  me  without  any  requital,  that 
it  would  be  a  sort  of  condign  punishment  for  your  forget- 
fulness  and  a  kind  of  triumph  for  myself  and  —  if  not  such 
a  womanly  revenge  as  books  tell  of, —  at  least  a  great 
solace  to  my  self-love.  But  it  happened  otherwise,  for  I 
forgot  to  take  into  account  that  I  had  a  heart,  not  of  for- 
eign books,  but  of  a  Polish  village  —  simple  and  faithful. 
When  I  saw  Rzeslewo,  Jastrzeb,  and  you,  I  wanted  only 
to  weep  and  weep,  as  I  wept  at  Pan  Zarnowski's  funeral, 
and  I  discovered  within  me  that  Hanka,  who  years 
before  loved  you  with  her  first  childish  love  and  after- 
wards with  such  affection,  did  not  love  any  one  else.  You 
know,  sir,  what  happened  further.  If  you  do  not  return, 
I  will  not  bear  any  resentment  towards  you,  but  do  not 
harbor  any  ill-will  against  me.  I,  too,  merely  skirted  along 
the  rim  of  happiness." 

The  signature  was  "Hanka."  Ladislaus'  chin  quivered 
from  time  to  time  while  he  was  reading  the  letter  and  his 
eyes  grew  dim.  He  began  to  repeat  the  signature  "Hanka, 
Hanka."  He  rose  abruptly  and  paced  over  the  room  with  big 
steps.  His  thoughts  rolled  into  a  ball  in  his  head  like  clouds 
in  the  heavens ;  they  collected  and  scattered  in  all  directions 
like  a  startled  stud  of  horses  on  the  wild  steppes  of  the 
Ukraine.  He  read  the  letter  a  second  and  third  time, 
and  under  its  influence  there  began  to  glide  before  his 
eyes  pictures  of  the  past  as  distinct  as  if  all  that  which 


300  WHIRLPOOLS, 

occurred  some  time  ago  had  happened  but  yesterday.  He 
recalled  those  bright  moonlight  nights  when  he  stole  away 
to  the  mill,  and  that  village  girl,  fragrant  with  the  hay,  who, 
to  the  question  of  whether  she  loved  him,  whispered  in  reply, 
"  Of  course,"  and  threw  her  yet  half-childish  arms  around 
his  neck  and  hugged  him  to  her  breast  with  such  strength 
that  no  other  love  could  make  a  sincerer  avowal.  He 
recollected  that  he  nevertheless  loved  her  at  that  time, 
and  when  he  missed  her,  longed  for  her,  and  even  inquired 
of  the  people  about  the  blacksmith's  family  —  but  with 
reserve  and  faint-heartedly,  as  fear  closed  his  lips. 

Subsequently  that  girl  was  erased  from  his  memory  so 
completely  that  even  the  light  pangs  of  conscience  which  he 
felt  on  her  account  vanished;  nothing  remained.  It  was 
well  with  him  in  the  world  and  he  sought  new  sensations, 
while  she  was  seized  by  the  whirlwind  of  life  and  was 
hurled  like  a  wretched  leaf  upon  a  foreign  land,  where  she 
suffered  from  sheer  starvation.  Nevertheless,  neither  at 
that  time,  nor  later,  when  good  people  took  care  of  her, 
did  she  forget  him  nor  did  she  cease  to  long  for  him.  Lad- 
islaus  was  not  a  deep  connoisseur  of  the  human  soul ;  he 
felt,  nevertheless,  that  what  for  him  was  simply  a  love  ad- 
venture, a  shallow  enjoyment  of  the  senses,  a  transient 
impression  which  disperses  to  the  winds  like  the  fragrance 
of  flowers,  for  her  became  a  new  life;  a  surrender  of  her 
whole  being  and  whole  soul,  too  pure  and  too  noble  for 
her  to  seek  a  new  happiness  upon  new  paths.  And  now 
he  understood  why  that  coveted  Miss  Anney  of  to-day, 
charming  as  a  dream,  brilliant,  surrounded  by  affluence 
and  arousing  admiration,  wrote  to  him  that  she  had  a 
heart  not  of  foreign  books  but  of  a  Polish  village  —  simple 
and  faithful.  He  understood  also  why  the  letter  was  signed 
"Hanka."  Suddenly  and  irrevocably  were  banished  all 
his  suspicions,  and  her  words,  "my  life  from  the  moment  of 
the  departure  from  Rzeslewo  has  been  pure,"  touched 


WHIRLPOOLS.  301 

him  to  the  extent  that  he  began  to  upbraid  himself  that  he 
should  for  a  moment  have  thought  that  it  could  have  been 
otherwise.  At  once  he  seemed  to  himself  to  be  little,  mean, 
and  unworthy  of  that  noble  and  exalted  soul.  But  through 
his  heart  and  head  there  coursed  during  the  last  moments 
so  many  thoughts,  impressions,  and  feelings  that  he  was 
uncertain  whether  the  final  sensibility  of  his  own  short- 
comings and  wretchedness  would  be  lasting.  Neverthe- 
less, he  was  seized  with  an  ever-increasing  tenderness,  and 
more  and  more  became  obliterated  that  difference  between 
Hanka  and  Miss  Anney  which  was  so  irritating  to  him  in 
the  first  moments.  Now,  on  the  contrary,  the  recollection 
that  this  simple  girl  of  old  and  that  fascinating  lady  of 
to-day  were  one  and  the  same  woman  penetrated  him  with 
a  kind  of  thrill,  resembling  a  thrill  of  joy.  The  memory 
that  at  one  time  he  possessed  the  other  began  to  waken 
in  him,  as  it  were,  a  hunger  and  a  new  passion  for  the  present 
one,  and  the  thought  of  her  charms  intensified  the  play  of 
his  young  blood.  But  he  strove  to  stifle  within  him  those 
impressions  with  the  consciousness  of  the  responsibilities 
which  were  imposed  upon  him.  Above  all  things  he  pro- 
pounded to  himself  the  question.  What  should  a  man  of 
honor  do  who  had  betrayed  and  therefore  wronged  a  girl, 
almost  a  child,  who  was  in  love  with  him,  and  later,  after 
a  few  years,  met  her  under  a  changed  name  and  fell  in 
love  with  her?  There  was  only  one  answer;  even  if  he 
did  not  fall  in  love,  if  her  love  continued,  he  ought  to  as- 
sume all  the  consequences  of  his  acts.  If  she  remained  a 
simple-minded  rustic  who  never  could  understand  him, 
or  if  she  had  deviated  from  the  path  of  rectitude,  even  in 
such  a  case,  it  would  not,  for  his  vexed  soul,  be  sufficient 
reason  for  washing  his  hands  and  withdrawing  from  the 
affair;  and  so  much  the  more,  since  the  girl  had  bridged 
the  intellectual  and  social  chasm  which  separated  them, 
and  in  addition  ennobled  her  own  soul  and  had  not  ceased 


302  WHIRLPOOLS. 

to  love.  "  Yes  it  is  so.  I  would  spit  in  my  own  eyes," 
said  Ladislaus  (not  thinking  at  that  moment  that  in  prac- 
tice an  act  like  that  would  be  a  trifle  difficult  to  per- 
form), "if  I  hesitated  any  longer.  There  is  only  one 
thing  to  do  and  I  will  do  that  at  once."  Having  formed 
this  resolution,  he  took  a  deep  breath  like  a  man,  from 
whose  heart  a  heavy  load  has  fallen  —  and  as  much  as  he 
at  first  became  little  in  his  own  eyes,  so  now  he  began  to 
gain  in  stature.  He  did  not,  however,  propound  the  ques- 
tion, what  would  happen  if  Miss  Anney  did  not  have  such 
wondrous  eyes,  gazing  with  a  heavenly  streak,  nor  such  a 
countenance,  whose  color  reminded  him  of  the  petals  of  a 
white  rose,  nor  those  other  charms  which  attracted  his 
eyes.  He  said  to  himself  that  many  of  his  acquaintances 
could  not  afford  to  form  a  similar  resolution;  he  was 
pleased  with  himself ;  and  that  it  was  easier  for  him  to  do 
so  because  he  was  impelled  thereto  by  his  heart  and 
senses,  he  deemed  not  as  lessening  the  worthiness  of  the 
act  itself,  but  as  his  own  good  fortune.  He  foresaw,  how- 
ever, that  he  would  yet  have  to  do  with  his  mother  as  well 
as  with  the  so  called  opinion  of  society,  which  is  not  con- 
cerned about  principles  but  only  about  gossip,  and  which 
seeks,  above  all  things,  food  for  its  own  stupid  malice. 
But  he  expected  to  reconcile  his  mother,  and  as  to  the 
malicious,  smiling  ironically  upon  the  slightest  provoca- 
tion, his  nostrils,  distended  at  the  very  thought,  and  his 
clenched  teeth  boded  them  no  good.  But  this  anticipated 
knightly  action  was  a  matter  of  the  future;  in  the  mean- 
time his  impetuous  nature  urged  him- to  immediate  action. 
He  determined  to  go  to  his  mother  at  once  and  definitely 
come  to  an  understanding  with  her.  Glancing,  however, 
at  his  watch,  he  became  aware  of  the  fact  that  it  was  al- 
most three  o'clock  in  the  morning.  In  view  of  this,  that  was 
impossible.  Not  feeling,  however,  the  least  need  of  sleep, 
and  desiring  absolutely  to  do  something,  he  sat  down  to 


WHIRLPOOLS.  303 

write  letters.  First,  he  inclosed  Miss  Anney's  letter  in  an 
'  envelope,  because  he  wanted  to  send  it  to  his  mother  before 
the  decisive  interview  took  place ;  after  which  he  started  to 
write  to  Miss  Anney,  but  soon  stopped,  as  it  occurred  to 
him  that  since  he  gave  his  word  that  he  would  remain 
silent  for  a  week,  he  did  not  have  the  right  to  do  it.  In^ 
stead,  after  a  brief  deliberation,  he  wrote  a  few  words  to 
Pani  Otocka,  praying  that  she  would  permit  him  to  visit 
her  that  day. 

Finally,  when  the  dawn  began  to  peer  into  the  room  and 
mingle  with  the  light  of  the  lamps,  he  thought  of  repose,  but 
though  he  felt  great  weariness,  he  could  not  fall  asleep, 
and  mentally  he  conversed  with  his  mother  and  Miss 
Anney  until  sunrise.  He  fell  into  a  sound  slumber  only 
when  the  morning  bustle  in  the  hotel  began  and  did  not 
awake  until  late.  Dressing  himself,  he  rang  for  the  servant 
and  ordered  him  to  deliver  Miss  Anney's  letter  to  his 
mother,  but  at  the  last  minute  he  made  up  his  mind  to 
take  it  to  her  himself.  But  in  the  rooms  engaged  by  his 
mother  he  found  only  the  younger  members  of  the  family 
and  the  French  governess,  who  informed  him  that  "ma- 
dame"  went  to  church  early  in  the  morning. 


304  WHIRLPOOLS. 


Pani  Krzycki  had  indeed  gone  to  church  and  confession, 
for  in  the  grief  which  befell  her,  she  needed  consolation 
and  advice.  And  her  grief  was  real  and  profound.  She 
lived  in  times  in  which  various  ancient  prejudices  and 
prepossessions  clashed,  and  were  becoming  more  and 
more  obliterated,  yielding  place  to  new  democratic  ideas. 
As  she  often  heard  that  the  wave  of  these  new  ideas  might 
bring  benefit  and  salvation  to  the  country,  she,  notwith- 
standing that  her  habits  and  former  conceptions  conflicted 
with  them,  not  only  did  not  struggle  against  them,  but 
quietly  acquiesced  in  them  in  a  passive  manner.  This 
was  easier  for  her  as  it  never  occurred  to  her  that  person- 
ally she  would  ever  have  an3^hing  to  do  with  them.  For 
her  it  was  the  same  as  if  somebody  had  installed  modern 
furniture  in  a  few  rooms  in  Jastrzeb,  which  were  not  con- 
tinually occupied.  Let  them  stay  there  since  fashion 
requires  it  and  since  in  the  other  rooms  there  are  old  arm- 
chairs, heirlooms,  in  which  one  can  rest  comfortably.  And 
now,  suddenly  she  was  ordered  to  move  to  that  new  part 
of  the  house ;  suddenly  she  was  confronted  by  the  fact  that 
her  son  was  in  love  with  a  peasant  woman  from  Rzeslewo 
and  was  about  to  marry  her.  Then  in  the  first  moments 
everything  within  her  was  stirred  up;  the  old  instincts 
and  customs  began  to  cry  out.  That  silent  and  passive 
acquiescence  in  the  new  ideas  crumbled  like  a  building  of 
sand,  and  the  whole  course  of  events  appeared  to  the  indig- 
nant citizeness-noblewoman  as  an  unworthy  intrigue  in 
which  the  victim  to  be  sported  with  was  her  son  and  with 
him,  the  entire  Krzycki  family.    Amazement  that  the  chief 


WHIRLPOOLS.  305 

partner  and  almost  author  of  this  intrigue  could  be  a 
being  whom  she  regarded  as  the  incarnation  of  all  feminine 
virtues,  and  whom  she  desired  her  son  should  marry,  only 
aggravated  her  anger.  In  vain  did  Zosia  explain  to  her 
that  her  son  was  the  betrayer  of  an  innocent  child  and  Miss 
Anney  was  an  angel,  and  that  in  bringing  her  to  Jastrzeb, 
she  did  not  have  any  sinister  designs  and  did  only  that 
which  every  other  woman  in  her  place,  sympathizing  with 
a  wronged  and  longing  woman,  would  have  done.  *'  If  the 
most  fervent  wish  of  Miss  Anney  was  to  behold  once  more 
in  her  life  the  place  in  which  her  life  was  undone,  and  the 
man  whom  she  could  not  forget  and  who  was  the  author 
of  her  undoing,  then  it  was  due  to  her;  and  everybody 
who  has  the  slightest  heart  ought  to  understand  this. 
And  let  Aunt  say,"  she  continued,  "whether  I  could  betray 
her  secret  and  whether  an  impossible  situation  would  not 
have  been  created  for  her."  The  usually  quiet  and  gentle 
Zosia  became  so  wrought  up  in  defence  of  her  friend  that 
she  plainly  told  Pani  Krzycki  that  even  if  Laudie  fell  in  love 
with  Miss  Anney  without  any  requital  that  it  would  be 
only  what  he  deserved  and,  besides,  since  "Aninka"  did 
not  accept  his  proposal  and  gave  him  a  week's  time  for 
consideration,  he  could  withdraw  it ;  in  such  case,  however, 
"Aninka"  would  not  be  the  only  one  whose  respect  he 
forfeited.  But  all  this  was  pouring  oil  upon  fire  and  only 
increased  the  ire  of  Pani  Krzycki  who  declared  that,  at  any 
rate,  she  and  her  son  were  victims  of  a  plot.  After  which 
she  moved  to  a  hotel,  announcing  at  the  time  of  her  depar- 
ture that  her  feet  would  never  again  cross  the  threshold  of 
that  house. 

Nevertheless,  the  bitterness  and  anger  which  accumu- 
lated in  her  heart  were  not  directed  against  Pani  Otocka 
alone.  Her  son  also  had  wounded  her  heart  deeply  and 
awakened  a  whole  series  of  painful  recollections,  connected 
with  the  memory  of  her  husband.    For  her  husband,  a  man 

20 


306  WHIRLPOOLS. 

worshipped  by  her  during  the  first  years  of  their  marital 
Hfe  for  his  manifold  good  qualities  and  extraordinary 
beauty,  had  caused  her  not  a  little  mortification  through 
his  immoral  life  in  relation  to  women  in  general  and  the 
female  residents  of  Jastrzeb  and  its  vicinity  in  particular. 
To  Pani  Krzycki  it  was  no  secret,  that,  in  the  course  of 
long  years,  cows  were  led  continually  from  the  manor 
cow-houses  as  gifts  or  rather  as  rewards  to  various  Kates 
and  Marys  and  that  in  Jastrzeb  could  be  found  quite  a 
number  of  step-brothers  and  step-sisters  of  her  children. 
So  she  shed  copious  tears  over  this  state  of  affairs  until 
almost  the  last  year  of  her  husband's  life.  In  her  time  she 
suffered  in  her  own  self-love  and  her  womanly  dignity  as 
a  wife  and  mother.  Afterwards  she  forgave  everything, 
but  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  as  a  woman  deeply 
religious,  she  lived  in  continual  fear  at  the  thought  of  the 
Divine  Tribunal,  before  which  the  deceased  appeared.  For 
whole  years  she  tried  to  supplicate  for  him  forgiveness 
through  tears,  fasts,  alms,  and  prayers.  Above  all  she 
determined  to  bring  up  her  son  in  such  a  manner  that  he 
would  never  fall  into  the  errors  of  his  father.  She  watched 
him  in  his  boyhood  days,  like  the  eye  in  her  head;  she 
shielded  him  from  all  evil  influences.  After  sending  him 
to  school  she  confided  the  care  of  him  to  her  relative,  a 
priest,  and  to  Gronski,  in  whose  morality  she  justly  be- 
lieved. And  when  the  son  grew  up,  when  after  finishing 
school,  he  attended  the  university,  and  afterwards  assumed 
the  management  of  the  Jastrzeb  estate,  she  had  that 
bottomless,  naive  faith,  usual  with  women,  upright  and 
pious  but  unacquainted  with  the  depravity  of  the  world, 
that  up  to  that  time  "Laudie"  was  as  pure  as  a  lily.  And 
now  unexpectedly  the  film  over  her  eyes  dropped.  The 
son  was  following  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father.  At  this 
thought  she  was  beset  by  despair.  In  her  soul  a  protest 
truly  vehement  poured  forth  against  the  alliance  of  her  son 


WHIRLPOOLS.  307 

with  a  peasant  woman,  but  having  a  very  sensitive  con- 
science she  felt,  after  her  conversation  with  Zosia,  that  Miss 
Anney  had  some  claim  on  Ladislaus.  Once  or  twice,  this 
manner  of  extricating  themselves  from  an  onerous  situa- 
tion suggested  itself  to  her  mind ;  that  Ladislaus  in  pursu- 
ance of  a  prearranged  compact  should  propose  to  Miss  Anney 
and  she  should  refuse  him.  "But  do  I  know,"  she  said  to 
herself,  "  how  many  similar  Hankas  may  already  be  found 
in  Jastrzeb  ?  "  And  a  horror  penetrated  to  the  marrow  of 
her  bones  at  the  thought  that  among  those  Hankas  might 
be  Ladislaus'  step-sisters,  for  it  seemed  to  her  that  the  crimes 
of  the  father  fatally  dragged  after  them  the  yet  greater 
crimes  of  the  son  and  with  them  must  follow  damnation. 
"Ah,  Laudie!  ah,  Laudie!"  she  repeated  despondently, 
and  she  felt  besides  fear,  such  pain,  such  disappointment 
of  heart  and  such  profound  resentment,  that  however  much 
she  understood  that  it  was  necessary  to  summon  Ladislaus 
as  soon  as  possible  and  ascertain  how  he  had  received  the 
news  that  Miss  Anney  is  Hanka^  and  what  he  intended 
to  do,  nevertheless  she  could  not  persuade  herself  to  see 
him  at  once.  After  removing  from  Pani  Otocka's,  the  in- 
formation that  he  was  not  at  the  hotel  afforded  her  true 
rehef.  She  immediately  locked  herself  up  in  her  room  and 
determined,  if  he  called,  not  to  admit  him. 

The  following  morning  she  went  to  church  and  to  con- 
fession and  after  confession  she  begged  her  relative,  the 
prelate,  the  same  who  in  his  time  had  charge  of  Ladislaus, 
for  advice.  Already  she  was  calmer.  The  aged  prelate 
received  her  and  began  with  extraordinary  particularity 
to  question  her  about  Miss  Anney,  her  stay  at  Jastrzeb, 
about  the  course  of  events  after  the  attempt  on  Ladislaus' 
life,  and  about  the  details  in  Hanka's  life,  of  which  Pani 
Krzycki  had  learned  from  Zosia:  afterwards  about  the 
fears  of  Pani  Krzycki  herself,  and  finally  after  a  long 
silence  he  said ; 


308  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"As  to  the  sins,  which  Ladislaus,  after  this,  the  first  sin 
of  his  youth,  might  have  committed,  that  is  only  a  con- 
jecture, and  a  fear,  and  as  we  have  no  irrefutable  proofs 
of  them,  we  should  not  take  them  into  account  at  all. 
There  only  remains  the  former  Hanka  and  the  Miss 
Anney  of  to-day.  It  is  only  with  this  one  case  that  we 
have  to  do.  So  I  desire  to  know  how  you,  as  a  mother, 
regard  her." 

Pani  Krzycki  replied  that  she  knew  perfectly  well  that 
all  people  in  the  sight  of  God  were  equal,  but  she  was 
concerned  about  the  happiness  of  her  son.  Similar  mar- 
riages were  not  usually  happy.  It  may  be  that  the  reason 
for  this  is  the  malice  of  the  world :  it  may  be  that  the  wife 
met  with  humiliation  on  the  part  of  vain  and  malicious 
persons,  but  the  husband  must  feel  that  also,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  irritation  ensues  and  the  relations  grow 
from  bad  to  worse  even  without  any  ill-will  on  either  side. 
As  to  her  son  he  is  ambitious  and  sensitive  as  but  few  are, 
and  even  if  he  loved  his  wife  most  strongly,  he  would 
suffer  if  any  one  evinced  towards  her  even  a  shade  of  dis- 
dain. Whoever  lives  in  the  world  must  reckon  with  every- 
thing, even  with  stupidity,  even  with  malice,  not  to  say 
with  other  considerations  upon  which  marital  happiness 
often  depends. 

The  aged  prelate  listened,  folding  and  unfolding  accord- 
ing to  his  habit  a  silk  handkerchief,  and  finally  said : 

"Reckoning  with  stupidity  and  malice  may  only  mean 
guarding  against  them,  not  making  any  concessions  to 
them." 

After  which  he  began  to  look  at  Pani  Krzycki  with  a 
penetrating  gaze  and  asked : 

"Permit  me  to  put  one  question  to  you:  Why  should 
your  son  necessarily  be  happy?" 

She  looked  at  him  with  surprise. 

"Why,  I  am  his  mother." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  309 

"Yes,  but  there  are  things  more  important  than  happi- 
ness, particularly  temporal, —  is  it  not  true?" 

"True,"  she  answered  quietly. 

"That  which  you  said  in  respect  to  temporal  matters 
may  be  more  or  less  just  and  may  actually  be  the  reasons 
which  make  such  marriages  less  happy  than  others,  but 
it  is  necessary  above  all  things  to  propound  to  one's  self  the 
question.  What  in  life  is  greater  and  what  is  less,  what  is 
more  important  and  what  is  less  important,  and  to  act  ac- 
cording to  the  dictates  of  conscience." 

"Well,  how  am  I  to  act?  "  asked  Pani  Krzycki. 

The  aged  prelate  looked  at  the  crucifix  hanging  on  the 
wall  and  quietly,  but  with  emphasis,  answered : 

"As  a  Christian." 

A  momentary  silence  followed. 

"I  am  satisfied  with  the  advice,"  said  Pani  Krzycki, 
"and  I  thank  you." 


310  WHIRLPOOLS. 


VI 

Ladislaus,  while  his  mother  was  in  church  and  consulting 
the  prelate,  repaired,  notwithstanding  the  early  hour,  to 
Pani  Otocka.  At  the  very  beginning  he  raised  to  his  lips 
both  of  her  hands  and  kissed  them  so  long  that  she,  from 
that  act  alone,  perceived  his  intentions. 

"I  knew  it  would  be  so!  I  knew  it!"  she  cried  with 
emotion  and  joy. 

While  he  replied  in  a  soft  quivering  voice : 

"I  did  not  require  a  week  to  perceive  that  I  cannot  live 
without  her." 

"I  knew  it,"  Zosia  once  more  repeated.  "Have  you 
spoken  with  your  mother,  yet?" 

"No.  Yesterday,  I  ran  about  the  city  senselessly,  after 
which  I  rushed  to  Gronski's  and  went  to  the  hotel  very 
late,  and  this  morning  I  was  informed  that  Mother  was  in 
church." 

Pani  Otocka  again  became  anxious. 

"Yesterday,"  she  said,  "she  was  very  angry  and  God 
grant  that  she  may  be  reconciled,  for  on  this  all  depends." 

"Not  all,"  answered  Ladislaus;  "not  to  speak  of  my 
great  attachment  for  Mother,  I  esteem  her  immensely ;  and 
God  sees  that  I  would  be  pleased  always  to  conform  to  her 
will.  But  that  has  its  limits;  when  the  happiness,  not 
only  of  myself,  but  of  the  being  most  precious  to  me  in  the 
world,  is  concerned,  then  I  cannot  sacrifice  that  under  any 
circumstances ;  I  have  pondered  over  this  all  night.  I  have 
a  hope  that  Mother  will  consent ;  as  I  trust  in  her  character 
and  in  that  love  which  she  has  always  shown  to  me.    If,  how- 


WHIRLPOOLS.  311 

ever,  contrary  to  my  hopes,  it  should  appear  otherwise, 
then  I  will  tell  her  that  this  is  a  resolution  which  cannot 
now  be  and  will  not  be  revoked." 

"Maybe  there  is  no  necessity  for  that,"  said  Pani  Otocka, 
"  for  Aninka  also  is  concerned.  Yesterday,  after  the  letter 
which  she  wrote  to  you  and  after  Pan  Gronski's  departure, 
we  talked  until  late  at  night.  She  was  very  nervous  and 
cried,  but  spoke  thus:  'If  he  returns  to  me,  not  joyfully 
and  with  entire  good-will,  but  only  because  he  did  not  want 
to  withdraw  his  word,  then  I  will  never  consent  to  it.  There 
is  no  pride  in  me.  I  did  not  even  reckon  with  my  own  self- 
love,  and  wrote  to  him  sincerely  what  was  in  my  heart, 
but  even  if  it  should  break  I  would  not  wed  him,  if  it  shall 
seem  to  him  that  he  is  lowering  himself  for  me.'" 

"The   dear,  lovely   creature!"    interrupted  Ladislaus. 

Pani  Otocka  continued: 

"After  that  she  began  to  cry,  and  added  that  she  would 
not  consent  to  be  the  cause  of  an  estrangement  between 
mother  and  son." 

"No,  I  repeat  once  more  that  my  resolution  cannot 
and  shall  not  be  revoked.  Here  my  whole  life  is  involved  — 
and  even  if  now  Mother  cannot  find  in  her  heart  sufficient 
good-will,  she  will  find  it  later.  In  the  meantime  I  will  do 
everything  in  order  that  my  future  wife  should  have  in  her 
also  a  mother,  affectionate  and  grateful  for  her  son's 
happiness." 

"  Can  I  repeat  that  to  Miss  Anney  ?" 

"That  is  just  what  I  came  for.  But  I  have  yet  one  more 
prayer.  She  took  my  word  that  for  a  week  I  would  not 
return  to  her  and  she  alone  can  release  me  from  it.  But 
in  view  of  what  I  came  here  for,  this  would  be  downright, 
needless  torture.  Neither  a  week  nor  a  year  can  change 
anything.  Nothing,  absolutely !  Will  Cousin  deign  to  tell 
her  that  and  beg  of  her  from  me,  but  beg  very  cordially, 
that  she  release  me  from  my  word?" 


312  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"With  the  greatest  pleasure,  and  I  have  a  hope  this  will 
not  be  a  too  difficult  matter  to  adjust." 

"I  thank  you  with  my  whole  soul  and  now  I  will  hurry 
to  Mother." 

But  before  he  left  the  room,  Marynia  rushed  in  and  be- 
gan to  gaze  sharply,  now  at  her  sister,  then  at  Ladislaus. 
In  reality  she  was  not  apprized  of  the  secrets  of  the  former 
relations  between  Ladislaus  and  Hanka,  but  she  already 
knew  that  Miss  Anney  is  the  former  Hanka;  she  knew 
everything  which  transpired  afterwards  and,  loving  Miss 
Anney  very  much,  she  was  dying  from  uneasiness  and 
curiosity  as  to  what  turn  the  affair  would  take.  She  was 
so  pretty  with  that  wistful  gaze  and  uneasy  face  and,  be- 
sides, she  had  such  an  amusing  mien  that  Ladislaus,  in 
spite  of  his  emotions,  at  the  sight  of  her,  fell  into  a  good 
humor.  Zosia  remained  silent,  not  knowing  whether  he 
wished  to  speak  of  his  affair  of  the  heart  before  Maryma, 
while  he,  purposely,  for  sometime  did  not  break  the  silence ; 
finally  he  approached  his  little  cousin  and  squeezing  her 
hand,  announced  in  a  sepulchral  voice : 

"Too  late!" 

"How  too  late,"  she  asked  alarmed. 

"She  is  going  to  marry  some  one  else." 

"Who?" 

"  Panna  —  Kajetana." 

And  he  burst  out  into  a  sincere,  jolly  laugh.  Marynia 
conjectured  that  matters  could  not  stand  so  badly  since 
Ladislaus  was  jesting.  Desiring,  however,  to  learn  fully 
the  good  news,  she  began  to  stamp  with  her  foot  and  im- 
portune like  a  child. 

"But  how  ?  —  now,  honestly.  I  could  not  sleep  to-day  I 
How?  now,  honestly.     How?" 

"Honestly,  that  hope  and  joy  and  happiness  —  there!" 
answered  Ladislaus,  pointing  in  the  direction  of  Miss 
Anney's  quarters. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  313 

After  which,  kissing  his  cousins'  hands,  he  rushed  out 
like  a  stone  whirled  from  a  sling,  for  he  was  in  a  great 
hurry. 

On  the  way  he  grew  grave  and  even  gloomy  at  the  thought 
that  the  moment  for  his  decisive  interview  with  his  mother 
was  approaching. 

He  found  her  in  the  hotel,  where  she  awaited  him  in  her 
own  room.  The  sight  of  his  mother's  face,  serene  and 
filled  with  an  unusual  kind  of  sweetness,  gave  him,  for  the 
time  being,  encouragement,  but  at  the  same  time  he  thought 
that  gentle  persuasion,  entreaties,  and  perhaps  tears,  would 
be  heavier  to  bear  than  anger  —  and  he  asked  in  an  uncer- 
tain voice: 

"Did  Manuna  read  her  letter?" 

"I  did,"  she  answered,  "but  even  before  that  I  learned 
almost  everything  from  Zosia,  whom  Miss  Anney  herself 
begged  not  to  conceal  anything  from  me." 

"  Gronski  told  me  that  Mamma  became  angry  at  Zosia  ?" 

"Yes,  that  is  so,  but  that  can  be  rectified.  Now  I  want 
above  all  things  to  talk  with  you  sincerely." 

So  Ladislaus  began  to  narrate  how  in  the  first  moments 
he  was  struck  as  if  by  a  thunderbolt  and  how  he  could  not 
reconcile  himself  to  the  thought  that  Hanka  and  Miss 
Anney  were  one  and  the  same  person.  He  confessed  his 
vacillation,  his  doubts,  suspicions,  and  the  pain,  which 
pierced  him;  and  the  internal  strife  and  accounting  with 
his  conscience  and  everj'thing  through  which  he  passed. 
But  only  after  reading  her  letter,  did  he  perceive  that  this 
pain  had  its  origin  in  his  love  for  her  and  that  the  struggle 
was  a  struggle  with  his  own  heart  and  happiness ;  then  he 
ceased  to  waver;  he  could  not  imagine  happiness  other- 
wise than  with  that  most  precious  being  in  the  world,  and 
without  her  he  did  not  desire  it. 

After  which  he  said  that  when  he  became  acquainted 
with  her  at  Jastrzeb,  as  Miss  Anney,  from  almost  the  first 


314  WHIRLPOOLS. 

moment  he  was  attracted  to  her  by  some  incomprehensible 
force  and  she  engrossed  all  his  thoughts.  He,  of  course, 
esteemed  Zosia  Otocka  highly,  and  Marynia  he  regarded 
as  a  bright  phenomenon.  But  admiration  and  love  are 
two  different  things.  Besides,  he  did  not  owe  anything 
either  to  Zosia  or  to  Marynia.  They  were  kind  while  he 
was  wounded  and  that  was  all.  But  to  Miss  Anney  he 
probably  owed  his  life,  and  he  remembered  that  she  for 
his  sake  placed  herself  in  peril.  With  what  could  he  repay 
her  for  that,  and  how  could  he  make  reparation  for  the 
former  wrong,  committed  while  she  was  still  almost  a  child  ? 
Who  was  the  worthier  of  the  two  ?  Was  it  he,  who  forgot 
and  lived  from  day  to  day  an  easy,  thoughtless,  and  spiritu- 
ally slothful  life,  or  she  whom  no  new  attachments  could 
reconcile  to  their  separation  and  who  ennobled  her  mind 
and  heart  through  suffering,  yearning,  and  labor?  "I 
scarcely  dare  to  believe.  Mother,"  said  he,  "that  she  not 
only  absolves  my  injury,  but  has  not  ceased  to  love  me. 
Perhaps  it  happened  thus,  because  it  was  I  who,  for  the 
first  time  in  her  life  opened  for  her  the  doors  to  the  world 
of  happiness,  but  undoubtedly  it  was  because  hers  is  a 
totally  exceptional  nature.  Yes,  Mother!  She  is  one  of 
those  who,  in  a  pristine  state  even  at  the  time  when  they 
are  unable  to  realize  things,  possess  that  noble  instinct, 
that  sort  of  elevation  of  feeling  that  love  ennobles  indeed 
everything,  but  only  when  it  is  great,  when  it  is  for  a  whole 
lifetime;  and  those  who  love  have  such  strength,  such 
a  depth  of  affection,  that  they  are  incapable  of  any  other 
affection.  But  when  such  a  one  is  found,  then  we  can  only 
thank  God  on  our  knees,  and,  in  plain  terms,  my  head  is 
confused  at  the  thought  that  for  my  transgression  I  meet 
with,  not  punishment,  but  fabulously  good  fortune.  It 
may  be  that  there  are  in  the  world  more  such  women  who 
can  make  a  man  happy,  but  I  want  to  be  happy  only  with 
this  one ;  maybe  there  are  others  who  ennoble  and  elevate 


WHIRLPOOLS.  315 

everything  about  them,  but  I  feel  that  through  this  one  I 
will  be  better  and  better.  Finally,  this  is  a  question  not 
only  of  my  happiness  but  also  of  my  honor." 

Here,  folding  his  hands,  he  began  to  gaze  into  her  eyes 
with  a  pleading  look ;   after  which  he  continued : 

"All  this  I  intrust  to  Mamma's  hands;  my  whole  life, 
my  entire  future,  and  the  peace  of  my  conscience,  and 
happiness  and  honor." 

Pani  Krzycki  placed  both  of  his  palms  to  her  temples 
and  kissed  his  forehead. 

"My  Laudie,"  she  said,  "I  am  an  old  woman  and  have 
various  prejudices :  so  I  will  not  tell  you  that  from  the  first 
moments  it  was  easy  for  me  to  assent  to  your  intentions. 
Do  you  know  that  yesterday  I  became  enraged  at  Zosia 
and  until  this  morning,  I  persisted  in  my  determination  to 
oppose  as  far  as  it  lay  in  my  power  your  marriage.  Be 
not  surprised  at  this,  since  you  admit  that  you  were  struck 
as  if  by  lightning;  then  think,  how  it  must  have  affected 
me,  I,  as  is  usual  with  a  mother,  had  at  the  bottom  of 
my  soul  the  conviction  that  for  you  even  a  king's  daughter 
would  not  be  too  high  a  mate.  But  it  was  not  only  the  old 
mode  of  thought,  not  only  a  maternal  vanity,  and  not  only 
prejudices  which  inflamed  my  opposition.  I  feared  also 
for  your  happiness.  I  would  not  have  had  anything  against 
the  person  of  Miss  Anney  herself,  were  it  not  for  these  other 
circumstances.  I  became  acquainted  with  her  at  Jastrzeb 
and  loved  her  sincerely;  often  I  said,  God  grant  that  all 
our  ladies  could  be  like  her.  But  learning  who  she  is  and 
what  took  place  between  you,  I  became  alarmed  at  first 
at  the  thought  that  you  might  have  committed  similar 
offences  in  Jastrzeb." 

"  No,  Mamma,"  answered  Krzycki;  "I  give  my  word  for 
that." 

"For  you  see  I  thought  you  were  absolutely  pure;  so 
think  what  a  blow  it  was  to  me." 


316  WHIRLPOOLS. 

Ladislaus  bowed  to  her  hands,  in  order  to  hide  his  face, 
for  notwithstanding  the  gravity  of  the  moment,  notwith- 
standing his  sincere  emotion  and  anxiety,  the  naivete  of 
his  mother  seemed  to  him  something  so  unheard-of  that 
he  feared  he  might  betray  himself  by  an  expression  of 
astonishment,  or  what  was  worse,  a  smile.  "Ah,"  he 
thought,  "it  is  lucky  that  I  have  to  swear  only  as  to  Jastr- 
zeb,  for  I  could  not  tell  mother  what  I  told  Gronski,  that 
a  wise  wolf  never  takes  from  that  village  where  he  keeps 
his  lair."  But  simultaneously  it  occurred  to  him  that  one 
must  be  an  angel  to  have  such  a  delusion,  and  his  adoration 
of  his  mother  increased  yet  more. 

And  she  continued: 

"Then  I  took  into  consideration  the  world  and  the 
people  among  whom  you  must  live.  I  knew  that  not  a  few 
would  commend  your  conduct,  but  in  reality  you  would 
have  to  endure  a  thousand  petty  annoyances  and  stings 
which  would  irritate  and  exasperate  you  until  they 
caused  a  pain  and  bitterness  even  in  your  feeling  towards 
your  wife.  I  was  concerned  about  your  happiness  which, 
in  my  blindness  I  craved  above  all  things  for  you.  And 
only  to-day  was  the  film  taken  off  my  eyes.  Apparently 
such  things  we  know  and  proclaim,  but,  nevertheless,  with 
real  surprise  and  as  if  it  was  something  new,  I  heard  that 
happiness  is  not  the  most  important  thing  in  life  and  that 
it  ought  not  to  be  the  greatest  concern  of  a  mother. 
And  before  that  my  heart  was  cleansed  of  its  pride  and  I 
was  commanded  to  be  guided  by  my  conscience:  there- 
fore, my  Laudie,  I  cannot  dissuade  you  from  this  marriage." 

Ladislaus,  hearing  this,  again  bowed  his  head  to  his 
mother's  hands  and  began  to  cover  them  with  kisses. 

"Ah,  Mamma,  dear,"  he  repeated,  "ah.  Mamma,  how 
happy  I  am !" 

"And  I,"  she  answered;  "for  I  feared  that  your  feeling 
might  be  superficial,  founded  upon  a  delusion  and  fancy; 


WHIRLPOOLS.  317 

but,  after  this  conversation,  I  see  that  you  love  Aninka 
truly." 

"  Yes !  That  is  imbedded  so  deeply  that  it  could  only 
be  torn  from  me  with  my  life." 

"I  believe,  I  believe." 

Thus  mutually  assuring  each  other,  they  both  spoke 
with  absolute  sincerity,  and  both  at  the  same  time  deluded 
themselves.  For  Ladislaus  had  an  inflammable  head, 
greedy  senses,  and  soft  heart,  but  he  lived  principally  on 
the  exterior,  and  none  of  his  feelings  could  spring  from 
great  depths  as,  on  the  whole,  he  was  not  a  deep  man. 

But  his  mother,  believing  every  one  of  his  words  as  she 
believed  in  the  gospel,  said  with  great  confidence: 

"May  God  bless  you,  my  child.  Let  us  at  present  speak 
of  what  is  to  come.  I,  of  course,  understand  that  once 
having  agreed,  it  is  necessary  to  agree  not  with  half  but 
with  the  whole  heart:  it  is  necessary  to  receive  Aninka 
with  open  arms  and  give  her  to  understand  that  it  is  she 
who  is  conferring  a  favor  upon  us  for  which  we  should  be 
grateful." 

"Yes,  for  she  does,"  exclaimed  Ladislaus  with  ardor. 

"Very  well,  very  well,"  answered  Pani  Krzycki,  with  a 
smile,  "now  it  becomes  me  to  go  to  her  and  thank  her 
myself.  I  assume  also  that  Aninka  will  withdraw  the 
condition  that  you  should  not  call  upon  her  for  a  week." 

"Zosia  is  to  attend  to  that,  but  naturally  Mamma's 
words  will  be  more  effective." 

"When  do  you  want  me  to  go?" 

Ladislaus  again  folded  his  palms:  , 

"At  once.  Mother  dear,  at  once." 

"Very  well;  will  you  wait  for  me  here,  or  at  Zosia's?" 

"Here;  for  Zosia  might  be  with  Marynia  at  the  re- 
hearsal.    She  sometimes  accompanies  her." 

Pani  Krzycki  rose  heavily  from  the  chair,  as  that  day, 
from  the  morning,  had  been  trying  for  her  and  the  rheuma- 


318  WHIRLPOOLS. 

tism  held  her  more  and  more  strongly.  Having,  however, 
straightened  out  her  limbs,  she  moved  briskly  ahead. 
The  thought  that  she  was  troubling  herself  for  her  boy 
made  it  an  agreeable  task  and  exertion. 

But  on  the  way  she  began  to  think  of  matters  of  which 
thus  far  there  had  been  no  mention  between  herself  and 
her  son.  She  belonged  to  that  type  of  women,  often 
found  among  the  country  nobility,  who  know  perfectly 
well  how  to  line  the  ideal  cloak  with  a  real  lining.  In  her 
time  the  entire  management  of  the  Jastrzeb  estate  rested 
on  her  head,  and  on  that  account  she  had  a  multitude  of 
worries  and  had  habituated  herself  to  struggle  continually 
with  them.  So  at  the  present  time  her  mind  turned  to  the 
material  side  of  the  affair. 

"I  would  consent  to  this  marriage"  (she  thought  as  if 
to  justify  herself  to  herself),  "even  though  Aninka  did  not 
have  anything,  but  I  am  curious  to  know  how  much  she 
can  have."  After  which  she  began  to  fondle  the  hope  that 
while  Aninka  might  not  have  millions  and  for  an  English- 
woman might  not  be  very  rich,  she  might  have  what  in 
Poland  might  be  regarded  as  great  opulence,  though  in 
England  it  might  be  deemed  a  modest  fortune. 

And  amidst  such  meditations  she  rang  Miss  Anney's 
door-bell. 

The  visit  passed  oflF  as  could  be  expected.  Pani  Krzycki 
was  honest,  grateful,  motherly  and,  at  the  moment  when 
she  surrendered  the  life  and  happiness  of  her  son  to  the 
hands  of  Miss  Anney,  "her  dear  daughter,"  she  was,  in 
a  measure,  pathetic.  Miss  Anney,  too  was  in  a  measure, 
pathetic,  also  cordial  and  simple,  quiet  and  collected  as 
well,  but  she  seemed  to  be  acting  with  caution,  though 
nothing  whatever  was  said  of  the  past.  With  Pani  Krzycki 
there  even  remained  an  impression  that  there  was  by  a 
hairbreadth  too  much  of  this  "reserve."  She  understood 
perfectly  that  it  would  be  want  of  tact  on  Miss  Anney's  part 


WHIRLPOOLS.  319 

if  she  displayed  too  much  enthusiasm  and  conceded  that 
she  acted  properly,  but  nevertheless  she  carried  away  at 
the  bottom  of  her  heart  a  little  disappointment  as  it  were, 
for  there  was  hidden  in  her  the  conviction  that  the  woman 
who  would  get  "Laudie"  and  would  bear  his  name,  could 
be  excused  even  though  she  went  insane  from  joy. 

Returning  to  the  hotel,  she  did  not,  however,  confess  to 
her  son  this  thought,  but  began  to  load  "Aninka"  with 
praises  and  speak  of  her  so  warmly  that  tears  stood  in 
the  eyes  of  both.  Ladislaus,  above  all  else,  was  anxious 
to  know  whether  the  "taboo"  was  removed  and  the  pro- 
hibition recalled;  having  learned  that  such  was  the  case, 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  later,  he  was  at  Hanka's  feet. 

"My  beloved,  my  angel,  my  wife !"  he  said,  embracing 
her  knees. 


320  WHIRLPOOLS. 


VII 

A  FEW  days  later,  the  old  notary,  Dzwonkowski,  and  Dr. 
Szremski  came  to  visit  Gronski.  The  latter,  to  whom  this 
was  an  agreeable  surprise,  as  he  liked  both,  and,  besides, 
esteemed  the  doctor  highly,  greeted  them  with  great  cordial- 
ity and  began  to  asic  the  news  of  the  city,  the  vicinity,  and 
of  themselves. 

"Ha!  We  live,  we  live,"  answered  the  boisterous 
doctor.  "In  these  times,  that  is  an  art.  But  the  police 
so  far  have  not  arrested  us,  the  bandits  have  not  shot  us, 
the  socialists  have  not  blown  us  up  into  the  air ;  so  we  not 
only  live,  but  have  come  to  Warsaw.  I,  because  I  must  ride 
farther,  —  as  far  as  Volhynia,  and  this  gentleman,"  pointing 
to  the  notary,  "on  account  of  the  concert  and  Panna  Mary- 
nia's  participation  in  it.  Having  read  of  it  in  the  daily 
newspapers  he  fell  into  such  a  state  that  at  any  moment 
I  looked  for  an  attack  of  apoplexy  or  aneurism.  There  was 
no  help  for  it.  I  had  to  prescribe  a  stay  in  Warsaw  as  a 
cure.  Finally,  he  cannot  at  all  endure  our  little  town  any 
more,  and  is  thinking  only  of  giving  up  his  office  to  some 
one  and  of  moving  here  permanently.  In  his  heart  a  fire  is 
burning,  and  the  snow  melts,  and  ice  melts  and  so  forth. 
Ha!" 

During  these  words,  the  old  notary  moved  his  jaws  so 
furiously  that  his  chin  almost  touched  his  nose;  finally 
he  declared: 

"The  head  splits  !    The  head  splits  !" 

"The  same  old  quarrel?"    asked  Gronski,  laughing. 

"Quarrel?"    repeated  the  notary.     "It  is  not  I  who 


WHIRLPOOLS.  321 

quarrel.  He  has  shaken  up  my  brain,  shattered  my  nerves, 
stupefied  me,  torn  to  pieces,  exhausted,  cleaned  out,  sucked, 
and  outtalked  the  remnants  of  strength  within  me.  From 
yesterday,  sir,  on  the  whole  road  —  a  continual  din  and 
roar  in  the  ears  —  and  after  that  in  the  hotel ;  to-day, 
since  morning,  and  now  here.  No,  I  cannot  stand  it,  no,  I 
cannot  I" 

"Tut,  tut.  And  who  daily  summons  me?  Who  every 
day  hangs  out  his  tongue  until  it  reaches  the  first  button 
on  his  vest  and  orders  me  to  examine  it  ?  Wait,  sir.  I  will 
ride  away  and  you  will  have  to  examine  it  yourself  before 
a  mirror." 

"Then  you  are  really  going  to  Volhynia?  How  about 
your  patients  ?  "   asked  Gronski. 

"I  fear  that  in  the  meantime  they  may  get  well;  but 
it  can't  be  helped,  I  must  go !" 

"And  for  how  long?" 

"I  do  not  know,  but  do  not  think  very  long.  I  am  a 
Volhynian  Mazur,  from  the  minor  nobility  of  that  place, 
or  as  they  say  there  of  the  single-manor  nobles.  They  are 
mostly  settled  there  as  tenants  of  various  petty  nobles,  but 
I  have  my  own  seat  in  partnership  with  a  brother,  an  ex- 
judge,  who  has  charge  of  the  estate  and  to  whom  I  am  now 
riding." 

"But,  of  course,  not  because  he  is  sick ?" 

"Certainly,  sir;  he  has  become  insane." 

"My  God!     Since  when?" 

"Not  long  ago.  From  the  time  he  became  a  'local 
rights'  man.'" 

"Ah." 

"That  is  so.  The  indigent,  haughty  noble  took  a  notion 
to  pose  as  a  landed  proprietor,  hankered  after  the  society 
of  gentlemen,  and  got  water  on  the  brain.  A  month  ago  I 
sent  him  two  thousand  primers  for  our  impoverished 
shabby  gentility,  of  whom  no  one  thinks  and  who  involun- 

21 


322  WHIRLPOOLS. 

tarily  or  rather  in  spite  of  their  will,  are  there  losing  their 
Polish  spirit.  And  would  you  believe  it,  sir,  that  he  sent 
back  to  me  the  whole  package,  together  with  a  letter  in 
which  he  announced  that  he  would  not  distribute  the 
primers." 

"Why?"  asked  Gronski,  whom  the  narrative  of  the 
doctor  began  to  interest. 

"  He  wrote  to  me  in  the  first  place  that  they  have  decided 
to  live  and  labor  only  for  their  own  province  and  occupy 
themselves  only  with  local  or  provincial  affairs,  and  again 
they  aim  at  some  kind  of  synthesis  of  all  nationalities,  and 
thirdly  they  will  Polonize  nobody." 

"But  you  were  only  concerned  about  primers  for  the 
children  of  the  petty  nobility,  who  are  Polish." 

"By  them  this  is  already  styled  Polonization,  for  it 
interferes  with  their  *  synthesis.'  We  know  in  what  that 
synthesis  must  end.  May  the  devils  take  them,  together 
with  their  diplomacy.  But  that  is  not  enough !  In  the 
end,  my  ingenious  brother  informs  me  that  he  does  not 
regard  himself  as  a  Pole,  but  only  as  a  Volhynian  with 
Polish  culture  and  that  this  is  his  political  position.  Ah, 
sir,  Stanczyk  was  wrong  when  he  said  that  in  Poland  there 
are  the  most  doctors.  In  Poland  there  are  the  most  poli- 
ticians. Every  average  Pole  is  a  second  Talleyrand,  a 
second  Metternich,  a  second  Bismarck.  He  never  partici- 
pated in  political  life,  is  unacquainted  with  history,  never 
passed  through  any  schools,  and  never  studied.  That  is 
nothing !  He  is  by  grace  of  God  !  He  from  nature  has  a 
pastille  in  his  brain,  of  which  he  thinks  that  if  he  only 
lights  it,  then  all  the  horse-flies  and  gnats,  which  suck  our 
blood  will  be  so  hoaxed  that  they  will  cease  to  molest  us. 
And  every  one  is  convinced  that  he  alone  sees  clearly,  that 
he  alone  has  the  exclusive  measures,  and  that  his  diplomacy, 
county,  local,  provincial,  or  whatever  you  may  call  it,  is  a 
panacea.    It  never  occurs  to  him,  that  with  such  county  or 


WHIRLPOOLS.  323 

local  polities,  this  fatherland,  as  Yan  Casimir  said,  would 
go  into  direptium  gentium." 

"Sir,"  said  the  aged  notary  to  Gronski,  pointing  to  the 
doctor,  "you  have  pressed  in  him  such  a  button,  that  now 
he  will  not  stop  talking  until  we  shall  not  be  able  to  move 
hand  or  limb." 

"That  is  not  a  button,  that  is  a  sore,"  answered  Gronski. 

And  evidently  it  was  a  sore  for  the  doctor,  as  he  was  so 
absorbed  that  he  did  not  hear  what  was  said  about  him, 
and  began  the  following  dialogue  with  his  absent  brother. 

"  Ah !  So  you  are  not  a  Pole  but  only  a  Volhynian  with 
Polish  culture  ?  Very  well !  Then,  in  the  first  place  I  will 
tell  you  that  you  have  repudiated  your  father,  grandfather, 
and  great-grandfather;  that  you  have  spat  upon  their 
graves;  that  you  have  renounced  your  traditions,  your 
right  of  existence,  that  you  have  grown  smaller,  that  you 
have  deserted  your  own  people  and  have  gone  to  those 
who  do  not  want  you,  who  do  not  invite  you  and  who  treat 
you  with  contempt ;  that  you  hang  in  the  air  and  you  will 
look  prettily  under  such  conditions  in  your  Volhynia. 
Again,  I  will  tell  you  that  you  are  not  yet  a  turncoat,  since 
that  which  you  are  doing,  you  do  through  stupid  politics 
which  in  consequence  of  your  ignorance  you  regard  as 
wise,  but  you  have  paved  the  way  for  future  turncoats. 
Your  grandson  or  great-grandson  will  renounce  Polish 
culture.  And  finally,  if  you  say  that  you  are  not  a  Pole, 
but  only  a  Volhynian,  why  do  you  not  go  back  farther,  even 
as  far  as  Darwin  ?  You  could  with  equal  justice  say  that  you 
are  not  a  Pole,  but  an  orang-outang  or  a  pithecanthrope 
with  Polish  culture  ?  What  ?  Bah  !  But  you  still  say  that 
you  do  not  want  to  Polonize  any  one?  How  can  you 
Polonize  ?  Whether  with  a  whip,  with  prison,  by  religious 
compulsion,  with  school,  or  with  a  gag  on  the  native  tongue  ? 
Tell  me  !  But,  if  not  denying  your  nationality  you  would 
shine  with  the  example  of  your  public  Polish  virtues,  if  you 


324  WHIRLPOOLS. 

would  ^ve  someone  your  Polish  hunger  for  liberty,  your 
Polish  ability  to  understand  the  sufferings  of  others,  your 
Polish  love,  your  Polish  hope,  your  faith  in  a  better  future, 
and  through  these  reconcile  him  to  Poland,  then  would  you 
regard  such  a  Polonization  as  premature,  and  bad  politics  ? 
But  in  such  case,  I  ask  you,  you  dunce,  have  you  anything 
better  to  offer,  and  why  are  you  staying  there  where  you 
settled?  You  don't  know?  And  in  the  end  you  will  not 
even  know  who  you  are.  That  I  will  tell  you.  You, 
Brother,  are  a  weak  character  and  above  all  have  a  weak 
head." 

Here  he  turned  to  Gronski : 

"This  is  what  I  have  to  say  to  my  brother  and  why  I 
am  riding  to  him.  There  is  to  be  some  kind  of  an  assembly 
there,  so  I  will  say  this,  in  other  words,  publicly." 

"If  you  would  only  go  as  quickly  as  possible,"  exclaimed 
the  notary. 

And  the  doctor  began  to  laugh. 

"But  as  I  have  yet  time,  I  will  first  attend  Panna  Mary- 
nia's  concert." 

"By  all  means,"  said  Gronski,  "ride,  sir.  Poland  is 
not  only  being  cut  from  the  outside  by  inimical  scissors, 
but  she  is  beginning  to  be  rent  asunder  internally.  Ride, 
sir,  and  tell  them  that  publicly.  Perhaps  some  may  be 
found  who  will  be  frightened  at  their  amenableness  to  the 
future." 

"I  think  that  such  will  be  found.  For,  in  the  main,  I 
assume  that  they,  or  at  least  a  majority  of  them,  thus  far 
feel  in  the  old  way,  and  only  speak  as  they  do  in  order 
to  loosen,  even  though  for  a  moment,  the  noose  which 
presses  on  their  throats.  But  in  this  they  are  mistaken. 
The  result  will  be  that  they  will  be  despised  and  trampled 
upon,  both  from  above  and  below." 

"When  are  you  going?" 

"The  assembly  meets  in  about  ten  days,  so  I  actually 


WHIRLPOOLS.  325 

will  stay  here  about  a  week,  for  I  have  various  matters  to 
attend  to  in  Warsaw.  In  the  meantime,  I  will  visit  my 
acquaintances,  and  among  others  Pani  Otocka,  and  the 
Krzyckis.    How  is  Krzycki?" 

"As  well  as  a  fish  —  and  he  is  going  to  marry." 

"Well,  well.  I  will  wager  that  it  is  with  that  beautiful 
Englishwoman?    A  pure  flower!" 

"Yes.  But  it  seems  that  this  is  not  an  English  flower, 
only  genuinely  Polish,  from  a  village  meadow." 

"For  the  Lord's  sake.    What  are  you  saying?" 

"That  is  no  longer  any  secret.  Her  name  is  Hanka 
Skibianka." 

Here  Gronski  related  the  whole  history  of  Miss  Anney, 
omitting  only  that  Ladislaus  knew  her  while  she  was 
Hanka. 

And  they  listened  with  astonishment,  while  the  doctor 
slapped  his  knees  with  his  palms  and  cried: 

"  Ah !  If  I  had  known  that ;  ah,  if  I  had  known 
that !" 

"Well,  what  would  have  happened?  asked  the  notary 
testily. 

"What  would  have  happened  ?  I  would  have  been  in  love 
with  her  not  only  under  the  ears  but  above.  As  it  was,  I 
only  missed  by  a  hair  being  in  love  with  her.  Ah,  lucky 
but  undeserving  Krzycki !  But  such  is  my  ill-luck.  Let 
only  one  catch  my  fancy  —  lackaday !  either  some  one 
takes  her,  or  she  is  in  love  with  somebody  else.  But  it 
cannot  be  helped !  I  must  see  Miss  Anney  and  tender  her 
my  best  wishes.  For  after  all  Krzycki  is  a  good  boy.  Such 
as  he-will  not  rebuild  Poland,  but  a  good  boy,  nevertheless. 
And  such  a  comely  rascal,  that  he  ravishes  the  eye.  I 
would  like  to  see  them  together.  That  will  be  a  couple 
—  what!" 

"  If  you  wish  to  see  them,  and  have  the  time,"  said  Gron- 
ski, "  then  it  will  not  be  difiicult,  for  we  arranged  yesterday 


326  WHIRLPOOLS. 

at  Pani  Otocka's  that  to-day  we  will  all  be  present  at  the 
rehearsal  for  the  concert.  I  can  take  you  gentlemen  to-day 
to  the  rehearsal,  and  afterwards,  the  whole  party  can  go 
to  breakfast." 

"Exactly,"  exclaimed  the  notary,  "that  is  just  what  I 
came  to  ask  you  to  do.  I  have  dropped  out  of  the  old 
relations  and  I  did  not  know  to  whom  to  apply  —  well !" 

Gronski  glanced  at  his  watch. 

"If  that  is  the  case,  all  right;  but  we  have  still  time.  In 
the  hall  at  this  moment  there  is  some  kind  of  meeting  or 
lecture,  and  such  meetings  usually  drag  beyond  the  desig- 
nated time.  After  that,  before  they  ventilate  the  hall  and 
replace  the  chairs,  a  half  hour  will  elapse.  I  have  not  omitted 
any  rehearsal,  so  I  know  how  things  go." 

"And  I  will  not  omit  any,"  said  the  notary. 

Nevertheless,  he  grew  so  impatient  that  they  left  too 
early.  Before  the  building  stood  about  a  dozen  persons, 
evidently  waiting  for  those  in  the  hall ;  while  from  within 
there  reached  them  a  buzzing  noise,  at  times  shouts,  ap- 
plause, and  the  sound  of  the  stamping  of  feet. 

"What  kind  of  meeting  is  it? "  asked  the  doctor. 

"Really,  I  do  not  know,"  answered  Gronski.  "Now  we 
are  full  of  that.  There  are  political  meetings,  social  con- 
ferences, literary  lectures,  and  God  knows  what  else." 

"I  envy  Warsaw,"  exclaimed  the  doctor. 

"There  is  not  much  to  envy.  At  times  it  chances  that 
something  deserves  attention,  but  oftener  such  absurdities 
take  place  that  one  feels  ashamed." 

"Oh,  they  are  already  leaving,"  observed  the  notary; 
"but  why  are  they  shouting  so?" 

"  Let  us  wait ;  that  is  some  kind  of  a  brawl,"  said  Gronski. 

In  fact  it  evidently  was  a  brawl,  for  from  the  roomy 
vestibule  there  rushed  out  on  the  wide  stairs  between  ten, 
and  twenty  men,  without  caps  or  hats,  who  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  formed  a  disorderly  heap.    In  this  heap,  hands, 


WHIRLPOOLS.  327 

canes,  and  umbrellas  moved  violently,  and  these  motions 
were  accompanied  by  a  shrill  shriek.  Afterwards  from 
the  gyrating  mob,  shoved  by  tens  of  arms,  shot  out,  as  if 
from  a  sling,  somebody,  with  bare  head  and  tattered  coat, 
who,  leaping  from  the  stairs,  turned  a  somersault  at  the 
doctor's  feet  in  such  a  manner  as  almost  to  tumble  him 
and  the  notary  on  the  ground. 

"Swidwicki!"    exclaimed  Gronski  with  astonishment. 

Swidwicki  rose,  and  shaking  his  fist  menacingly  at  the 
crowd,  which,  having  ejected  him  outdoors,  was  again 
returning  to  the  hall,  began  to  say  with  a  panting  voice : 

"Ah,  it  is  you!  They  have  warmed  my  hide  —  they 
have  warmed  my  hide  !  They  have  broken  my  ribs  a  little, 
and  torn  my  coat.  But  that  is  nothing !  I  also  have  crooked 
a  few  straight  noses  and  have  straightened  out  a  few  crooked 
ones.  This  is  the  second  time  that  this  has  happened  to 
me  —  ouch !" 

"Come  with  me.  You  cannot  stay  thus,  with  bare  head 
and  in  such  a  coat." 

"No,  no!"  answered  Swidwicki.  "Ouch!  Let  me 
recover  my  breath.     Hey!    Messenger!" 

And  beckoning  to  a  messenger,  he  said  to  him : 

"Citizen!  Here  are  two  pieces  of  coin  and  a  wardrobe 
check.  Go  to  the  vestibule  and  fetch  me  my  hat  and  top- 
coat." 

"But  for  the  Lord's  sake  what  happened?" 

"Directly,  directly,"  said  Swidwicki;  "but  let  me  first 
dress.  After  that  we  will  go  to  some  confectioner's 
shop  —  ouch !  For  as  soon  as  the  meeting  closes,  they 
will  begin  to  go  out  and,  finding  me  here,  they  will  be 
ready  to  administer  a  new  drubbing  to  me  and  to  you 
gentlemen  to  boot." 

"So  that  was  a  meeting?" 

"A  meeting,  conference,  discussion,  lecture  —  whatever 
you  wish.     Panna  Sicklawer  spoke  on  'Imparting  knowl- 


328  WHIRLPOOLS. 

edge.'  On  the  platform  sat  Pan  Citronenduft,  Panna 
Bywalkiewicz,  Panna  Anserowicz,  Panna  Kostropacka,  the 
editor  Czubacki,  and  others.  The  hall  was  packed  to  suf- 
focation.   Ouch !    I  enjoyed  myself  like  a  king." 

"We  see,"  observed  Gronski. 

"You  think  not?  But  introduce  me  to  these  gentlemen. 
For  I  am  the  hero  of  the  day." 

"  Hero  Swidwicki,  gentlemen ;  Notary^Dzwonkowski  and 
Dr.  Szremski,"  said  Gronski. 

Swidwicki  squeezed  the  palms  of  Gronski's  astonished 
companions ;  after  which  when  the  messenger  brought  the 
hat,  cane,  and  top-coat  he  dressed  himself  and  said : 

"With  this  cane  I  would  be  ready  to  wait  for  them  here 
—  but  for  to-day  I  have  had  enough.  The  meeting  will 
last  twenty  minutes  or  longer.  Let  us  go  to  some  confec- 
tioner's shop,  for  I  feel  a  pain  in  my  legs  and  cannot 
stand." 

They  went  to  a  confectioner's.  Swidwicki  ordered  for 
himself  one  and  then  a  second  glass  of  cognac,  after  which 
he  began  to  talk: 

"That  was  an  instructive  meeting.  Panna  Sicklawer, 
I  tell  you  gentlemen,  is  a  Cicero  in  petticoats.  When  she 
started  to  impart  knowledge  to  various  meek  creatures  of 
the  masculine  gender  and  various  magpies  of  fourteen 
years,  of  whom  the  audience  mainly  consisted,  even  I  grew 
warm.  The  meek  creatures  applauded  or  else  cried 
'shame'  when  there  was  a  talk  of  parents,  and  the  magpies 
blushed  so  violently  and  fidgeted  in  their  seats  so  much, 
that  they  seemed  to  sit  on  needles,  and  everything  went 
along  smoothly.  Remarks  were  made  by  Pan  Citronen- 
duft, Panna  Gotower  and  some  maid,  a  native  of  far  away 
Kars,  whose  name  as  well  as  I  could  hear  it,  had  a  Grecian 
or  Spanish  sound,  —  Nieodtego.  The  maturer  portion  of 
the  auditors  was  also  carried  away  by  the  enthusiasm,  and 
I,  though  Gronski  doubts  it,  enjoyed  myself  like  a  king. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  329 

For  you  see,  gentlemen,  that  I,  from  principle,  have  nothing 
against  imparting  knowledge,  —  nothing.  Quite  the 
reverse !  Only,  I  am  of  the  opinion,  if  an  affair  is  to  be 
jolly  let  it  be  really  jolly.  So  then,  after  a  few  addresses,  I 
rose,  asked  leave  to  speak  and  announced  that  I  desired 
to  recite  a  poem  in  honor  of  the  gathering.  They  agreed  to 
it  and  I  received  applause  in  advance.  Then  I  began  to 
declaim  —  indeed,  not  an  original  poem,  but  my  own 
parody  on  the  fable:  'Once  wanton  little  Thad.'  But 
this  did  not  continue  long;  it  appeared  that  my  Thaddy 
proved  himself  to  be  so  wanton,  that  he  was  too  wanton, 
even  for  them.  They  did  not  like  also  this ;  that  in  staring 
at  Panna  Nieodtego,  I  closed  one  eye.  They  began  to 
shout  'Silence!'  'Fie!'  'Away  with  him!  This  is  jeer- 
ing !'  And  here  my  ideal  fable  began  to  change  into  a  real 
epic.  For  when  in  reply  to  the  shout  'This  is  jeering,'  I 
said,  'Well  what  did  you  think  it  was?'  there  was  a  uni- 
versal roar  of  '  Put  him  out ! '  At  least  fifty  hands  grappled 
my  shoulders  and  neck;  a  nice  rumpus  followed.  They 
struck  me,  I  struck  back.  Finally,  they  dumped  me  into 
the  corridor :  from  the  corridor  on  to  the  stairs,  and  into  the 
street.  The  rest  you  gentlemen  know.  I  repeat  for  the 
third  time  that  I  enjoyed  myself  like  a  king." 

"That  to  me  is  at  least  courage,"  said  the  doctor;  "it  is 
necessary  to  stop  such  things,  even  by  a  scandal;  so  you 
did  well,  sir;  you  are  a  brave  nationalist." 

"I,  a  nationalist,"  exclaimed  Swidwicki,  "why,  the  day 
before  yesterday  I  was  thrown  out  of  a  meeting  of  the 
National  Democrats.  Indeed,  a  Uttle  more  poUtely,  but  I 
was  ejected." 

Gronski  began  to  laugh. 

"So  this  is  your  new  sport?" 

But  with  this  their  conversation  ended  as  their  attention 
was  attracted  by  the  crowd  returning  from  the  lecture. 
Before  the  window  flowed  a  black  human  stream,  among 


330  WHIRLPOOLS. 

which  were  a  large  number  of  striplings,  and  young  girls 
with  cheeks  covered  with  blushes. 

When  the  stream  finally  passed  by,  there  appeared  after 
an  interval  the  bright,  vernal  forms  of  Hanka,  Marynia, 
and  Pani  Otocka,  in  the  company  of  Krzycki. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  331 


VIII 

Upon  the  so  called  "happiest  period"  in  Krzyeki's  life  cer- 
tain small  shadows  fell,  and  this  for  various  reasons.  If 
on  the  one  hand  his  love  for  Hanka  grew  with  each  day, 
on  the  other  there  began  various  petty  annoyances  which 
his  mother  had  foreseen.  They  were  things  almost  im- 
perceptible, about  which  one  could  not  pick  a  quarrel, 
but  which  nevertheless  stung.  Thus  it  happened  that  the 
ladies  of  Gorek  came  to  Pani  Krzycki  to  invite  her  to  the 
wedding  of  Kajetana  to  Pan  Dolhanski,  which  wedding 
through  a  special  dispensation  of  the  church  was  to  take 
place  in  a  few  days.  Pani  Krzycki  in  tendering  them  her 
good  wishes  announced  that  they  could  also  do  the  same 
to  her,  owing  to  the  betrothal  of  her  son  to  Miss  Anney. 
Then  both,  one  after  the  other,  began  to  heartily  embrace 
her,  which,  though  apparently  a  sign  of  their  good  wishes, 
looked  more  like  condolence,  the  more  so  as  Pani  Wlocek 
did  not  utter  anything  besides  the  words,  "It  is  God's 
will,"  while  Kajetana  raised  her  eyes  as  piously  as  if  she 
wanted  to  supplicate  the  Powers  on  high  to  comfort  the 
heartbroken  mother.  Ladislaus  laughed  after  their  de- 
parture, but  in  his  soul  he  wished  that  both  would  break 
their  necks.  When,  however,  a  few  days  later  it  appeared 
that  out  of  the  entire  circle  of  acquaintances  only  Hanka 
did  not  receive  an  invitation  from  these  ladies,  he  wanted 
to  start  a  brawl  with  Dolhanski:  and  his  mother  was 
barely  able  to  restrain  him  with  the  declaration  that  neither 
she  herself,  nor  Zosia,  nor  Marynia  would  attend  the 
wedding.  Krzycki  was  even  angered  because  some  of  his 
acquaintances,  in  contrast  to  the  ladies  of  Gorek,  tendered 


332  WHIRLPOOLS. 

to  him  their  good  wishes  with  excessive  ardor,  as  if  he  had 
performed  an  heroic  act.  His  marriage,  as  well  as  the  ante- 
cedents of  Hanka,  became  the  subject  of  every  conversation 
in  "society."  Out  in  the  world,  great  political  changes 
could  take  place,  bombs  could  explode,  strikes  could 
break  out,  but  in  the  salons  for  a  few  days  only  Hanka 
was  spoken  of,  various  flabby  dames,  with  eyes  half 
closed,  in  a  questioning  tone,  drawling  through  their 
teeth,  "Anka  —  Skubanka  '  —  n'est  ce  pas?"  But  while 
the  good  wishes  of  those  who  tendered  them  to  Krzycki 
with  such  excessive  ardor  sprang  from  appreciation  of  the 
heroism  with  which  he  dared  to  take  as  wife  "Skubanka," 
Hanka's  marriage  settlement  and  the  hope  of  "pluck- 
ing" the  millionaire  in  the  future  played  an  important 
r61e.  This  marriage  settlement,  which,  agreeably  with  Pani 
Krzycki's  anticipations,  was,  for  local  conditions,  quite 
considerable,  but  by  no  means  reached  the  millions,  grew 
in  public  opinion  with  almost  every  hour,  so  that  it  attained 
almost  fabulous  proportions,  and  intensified  the  universal 
curiosity  to  the  extent  that  when  Hanka  in  the  company 
of  her  two  young  female  friends  together  with  Pani  Krzycki 
and  her  fianc6  appeared  at  the  races,  all  the  lorgnettes 
were  directed  at  their  carriage.  The  flabby  dames  from 
"high  life,"  gazing  at  her  radiant  countenance,  sparkling 
with  happiness  and  health,  indeed  said  that  they  could  at 
once  surmise  that  "this  is  something  a  little  different," 
and  contended  that  in  the  present  days  this  "high  life" 
ought  to  open  its  delicate  bosom  to  a  person  possessing  such 
means  for  "doing  good."  As  to  her  comeliness,  however, 
the  opinion  prevailed  that  she  was  not  sufficiently  pretty 
for  one  to  lose  his  head  and  that  Krzycki  was  marrying  for 
money.  His  defence  was  undertaken  only  by  the  ladies 
from  Gorek,  who,  meeting  now  many  people,  made  it 
everywhere  understood  that  their  young  neighbor  did  not 
*  "Skubanka,"  a  pun  upon  the  word,  "skubac,"  to  pluck. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  333 

always  seek  merely  money,  and  that  only  when  he  was 
disappointed  in  other  fancies,  did  he  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  it  was  better  to  have  money  than  nothing. 

Thus  did  things  shape  themselves  externally.  But  on 
the  sky  of  the  betrothed  pair  appeared  tiny  clouds  which, 
as  Ladislaus'  love  became  inflamed,  appeared  even  with 
greater  frequency.  Hanka,  habituated  to  English  customs, 
did  not  at  all  hesitate  to  receive  her  fiance  at  her  home  and 
pass  with  him  long  hours  alone;  to  stroll  with  him  over 
the  city,  to  drive  from  the  city  without  a  chaperon,  and 
even  call  him  by  his  Christian  name.  She  said  to  herself 
that  in  great  and  sincere  love  there  also  should  be  room  for 
friendship  and  that  it  was  necessary  before  one  became  a 
wife  to  be  a  sincere  friend  and  comrade.  She  thought  that 
Ladislaus  would  understand  this  and  not  only  would  love 
her  all  the  more  but  also  cherish  her  all  the  more.  Once 
she  had  read  in  an  English  book  that  one  might  love  and 
not  cherish,  and  that  in  such  a  case  love  grows  embittered 
to  the  degree  that  it  may  become  perpetual  unhappiness. 
So,  desiring  to  avoid  this  and  place  her  future  life  upon 
immovable  foundations,  she  wished  to  win,  besides  love, 
the  deepest  possible  friendship. 

But  here  the  misunderstandings  between  the  engaged 
couple  began.  That  golden-hair,  that  good  friend,  gazing 
with  a  heavenly  light,  that  rose-colored,  gay  comrade  who 
dressed  herself  in  a  light  dress  and  spring  hat,  was  so  charm- 
ing that  Ladislaus  cherished  indeed  without  limit,  but  at 
every  tSte-a-t^te  lost  his  head.  To  Hanka  it  appeared  that 
her  betrothed,  though  he  was  enamoured  to  distraction  and 
at  the  same  time  was  a  friend,  should  be  the  kind  of  a  man 
upon  whose  shoulders  she  could  at  every  moment  press  her 
head  with  perfect  confidence  that  he  would  not  abuse  her 
trust  and  would  not  take  advantage  of  their  seclusion  nor 
of  any  temporary  weakness,  nor  of  the  gray  hour,  nor  of 
the  fact  that  love  disarms  and  weakens  a  woman.    He,  on 


334  WHIRLPOOLS. 

the  contrary,  perhaps  because  he  lost  his  head,  acted  as  if 
he  thought  that  friendship  and  the  relations  of  a  comrade 
only  added  to  the  rights  of  betrothal.  From  this  there  was 
generated  a  mutual  vigilance;  in  him  a  watchfulness  for 
everything  of  which  he  might  take  advantage;  in  her  a 
wariness  of  that  which  she  ought  to  avoid.  This  vigilance, 
at  first  silent,  soon  lapsed  into  quarrels.  They  were  fol- 
lowed by  apologies,  which  would  have  intensified  the  love 
of  both  were  it  not  that  Ladislaus  apologized  too  passion- 
ately. And  this  misunderstanding  was  in  reality  deeper 
than  both  thought,  for  when  Hanka,  remembering  what 
once  had  taken  place  between  them,  believed  that  he  should 
on  that  account  be  more  continent,  he,  in  moments  when 
blinded  by  desire,  seemed  to  fancy  that  very  past,  together 
with  the  burnt  bridges,  justified  him  in  everything.  From 
these  causes,  the  enchanted  edifice  of  their  happiness  from 
time  to  time  became  defaced  and  would  have  been  defaced 
yet  more  strongly  were  it  not  for  this,  that  in  Ladislaus 
there  was  material  for  everything  and  there  came  upon  him 
moments  entirely  different.  Sometimes  on  clear  nights 
when  they  sat  on  the  balcony  leading  to  the  garden  of 
Hanka's  residence,  and  when  from  the  neighboring  balcony 
came  the  song  of  Marynia's  violin,  and  the  moonlight 
seemed  to  sleep  quietly  on  the  opposite  walls,  it  also  put 
to  slumber  Ladislaus'  senses.  His  soul,  lulled  to  sleep  by 
the  sight  of  the  beloved  being,  bleaching  like  a  white  angel 
in  the  dusk,  —  intoxicated  with  the  fragrance  of  leaves 
and  flowers,  winged  by  music,  was  dissolved  into  a  kind  of 
universal  but  sweet  and  chaste  feeling,  which  enveloped 
Hanka  and  bore  her  towards  the  stars.  The  impression- 
able soul  of  the  girl  at  such  times  was  susceptible  of  this 
and  was  simply  submerged  in  happiness. 

But  these  were  transitory  moments  of  tranquillity  of 
mind.  A  moment  later,  while  Ladislaus  was  bidding  her 
good-night  and  when  he  kissed  her  hands  and  forehead, 


WHIRLPOOLS.  335 

quickly  there  was  awakened  in  him  the  eternal  hungry  de- 
sire, and  he  sought  her  lips  and  hugged  her  breast  to  his 
own ;  he  lost  his  memory,  and,  when  she  broke  away  from 
his  arms,  he  said  that  he  did  not  promise  her  that  he  would 
be  an  English  Quaker;  and  they  parted,  if  not  angry,  as 
if  both  were  humiliated  and  sad. 

And  that  sadness  fraternized  with  love. 

But  it  often  happened  that  Ladislaus  disarmed  Hanka 
with  his  great  frankness  which  in  reality  was  his  chief  at- 
tribute. 

"You,  my  Hanusia,"  he  said  to  her  once,  after  serious 
quarrel,  "would  want  that  I  should  mount  a  ladder  and 
stay  on  the  highest  round,  for  a  time  —  Good  !  —  I  can ! 
But  to  stay  there  forever  I  could  not  do  any  more  than  I 
could  walk  on  stilts  all  the  time.  Do  not  imagine  that  I  am 
something  more  than  I  am.  I  am  an  ordinary  mortal, 
who  only  differs  from  others  in  this,  that  he  loves  you  above 
everything." 

"No,  Laudie,"  answered  Hanka,  "I  do  not  at  all  desire 
that  you  should  be  some  great  personage,  for  I  remember 
that  the  Englishmen  say  that  an  honest  man  is  the  noblest 
work  of  God." 
*    "I  did  a  little  mischief  once,  but  I  think  I  am  honest." 

"Yes,  but  remember  that  not  he  is  honest  who  does  not 
do  evil,  but  he  who  does  good.  In  that  everything  is 
contained." 

"  I  agree  to  that.    You  will  teach  me  that." 

"And  you  me." 

"  Ha  I  we  will  keep  house  in  Jastrzeb  and  will  do  all  we 
can.  There  is  much  work  to  be  done  there  and  of  the  kind 
for  which  I  am  fitted.  To  be  a  good  husbandman,  to  be 
good  to  the  people,  to  instruct  them;  to  teach,  love,  and 
enlighten;  to  be  also  a  good  citizen  of  the  country  and  in 
case  of  necessity  to  die  for  it  —  for  this,  I  give  my  word 
I  am  fit.    Yes,  it  is  so.    And  now  you  have  me.    But  taking 


336  WHIRLPOOLS. 

everything  together,  no  evil  will  befall  you  with  me, 
Hanusia,  —  I  love  you  too  much  for  any  evil  to  befall 
you.  Only,  my  golden  one,  my  love,  my  rosy  lady,  do  not 
command  me  to  sit  on  the  ladder,  for  that  I  cannot  do." 

His  simplicity  and  sincerity  propitiated  Hanka.  The 
thought  of  a  joint  life  in  Jastrzeb,  of  loving  the  folks  whose 
child  she  was,  of  instructing  them,  of  laboring  over  and  for 
them,  cheered  and  allured  her  more  powerfully  than  any- 
thing else  could  do.  To  return  to  Poland  and  take  charge 
of  a  Polish  village  was  the  plan  which  she  formulated 
immediately  after  the  death  of  the  Anney  family.  And 
now  just  such  a  horizon  was  opened  to  her  by  this  former 
"young  lord"  whom  she  loved  while  yet  a  simple  girl. 
Therefore  she  was  grateful  to  him:  she  was  ready  in  her 
soul  to  exalt  his  good  qualities,  to  exculpate  his  faults,  to 
love  him,  and  to  persevere  faithfully  at  his  side,  but  in  ex- 
change she  wanted  nothing  more  than  that  he  should  love 
her  not  only  with  his  senses,  but  with  a  true  and  chaste 
love,  and  that  he  should  regard  her  above  all  things  as 
his  life  companion,  "  for  better  or  for  worse." 

And,  for  that  reason,  whenever  there  came  to  her 
moments  in  which  it  seemed  to  her  that  he  saw  in  her 
principally  an  object  for  his  desires  and  was  unable  to  find, 
in  himself  strength  to  struggle  with  them  and  elevate  his 
feelings  to  noble  heights,  doubt  seized  her  heart  and  she 
could  not  resist  the  thought  that  he  was  not  such  as  she 
would  wish  him  to  be. 

"But  nevertheless,"  she  consoled  herself  in  her  soul, 
"that  is  a  sincere  and  true  nature,  and  where  there  is  sin- 
cerity and  truth,  everything  may  be  brought  to  light." 

Ladislaus  on  the  contrary  was  in  reality  sincere  to  the  de- 
gree that  one  could  see  through  him  —  through  and  through, 
as  though  he  were  made  of  glass.  The  proof  of  this  was 
the  opinion  which  Dr.  Szremski  expressed  about  him  in 
a  conversation  with  Gronski. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  337 

"To  me,"  he  said,  "the  present-day  Hanka  Skibianka 
is  ten  times  more  interesting  than  the  former  Miss  Anney, 
and  I  wish  her  happiness  from  my  whole  soul.  But  if  she 
bases  that  happiness  upon  the  feehng  which  Krzycki  en- 
tertains for  her,  I  fear  that  she  will  be  disappointed.  I  do 
not  wish  to  say  anything  bad  of  him.  On  the  contrary, 
to  me  he  is  a  sympathetic  type,  for  he  is  immensely  ours, 
immensely  domestic.  If  he  had  lived  a  hundred  years  ago 
and  been  a  Uhlan,  he  would  have  charged  at  Samo-Sierra 
no  worse  than  Kozietulski  and  Niegolewski.  Only  he 
belongs  to  that  species  of  men  for  whom  it  is  easier  to  die 
for  some  idea  or  for  some  feeling  than  to  live  for  them  and 
to  persevere  in  them.  To  turn  to  one  idea  or  to  one  feeling, 
as  a  magnetic  needle  turns  to  the  north,  is  not  within  their 
power  nor  their  concern.  They  require  distraction,  amuse- 
ment. And  there  is  nothing  strange  in  this.  Consider  only 
that  for  entire  ages  nobody  was  better  off  than  the  various 
Krzyckis  and  Gronskis  —  nobody.  So  they  sucked  of 
the  pleasures  of  life,  like  juice  of  grapes.  They  ate,  drank, 
played,  dissipated  —  bah  I  they  even  fought  for  the  pleas- 
ure of  it.  They  were  not  vicious  nor  terrible,  for  a  happy 
man  cannot  be  totally  vicious.  They  had  in  their  hearts 
a  certain  feeling  of  humanity.  They  were  indulgent  to 
people  who  were  subject  to  them,  but  above  all  things  they 
were  indulgent  to  themselves.  Hence  at  the  bottom  of 
the  Polish  soul  always  lies  indulgence.  Then  came  the 
time  of  penance  and  that  indulgence  by  right  of  inherit- 
ance, particularly  in  the  spheres  to  which  Krzycki  belongs, 
remains.  For  him,  neither  love  for  woman  nor  for  father- 
land will  suffice.  He  will  love  them  and,  in  a  given  case, 
will  perish  for  them,  but  in  life  he  will  indulge  himself. 
And  you  see,  sir,  that  it  was  just  for  this  reason  that  I  said 
that  such  as  he  will  not  rebuild  Society." 

"And  who  will?"  asked  Gronski. 

"The  future  generations  —  not  the  pot-beUied,  not  the 
22 


338  WHIRLPOOLS. 

easy-natured,  not  the  chatterboxes,  not  the  indulgers  in 
sensual  delights  and  the  pleasures  of  life  —  no  —  apparently 
they  are  good  for  everything  and  fit  for  nothing  —  but  only 
the  hardy,  the  persistent,  the  quiet,  and  the  practical.  For 
them,  misfortune  and  slavery  have  tilled  the  ground  for  a 
hundred  years." 

"And  the  present  day  manures  the  ground,"  said  Gron- 
ski,  "only  it  is  a  pity  that  this  manure  has  such  a  rank 
smell." 

"That  is  not  manure;  that  is  sand  blown  from  abroad 
which  renders  the  soil  sterile,"  replied  the  doctor  with 
energy. 

And  he  began  to  curse. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  339 


IX 

DoLHANSKi,  however,  completely  subdued  his  fiancle  and 
his  future  mother-in-law,  inasmuch  as  he  prevailed  upon 
them  to  call  personally  upon  Hanka  and  invite  her  to  the 
wedding.  They  were  prompted  to  this  by  the  consideration 
that  at  any  rate  it  behooved  them  to  preserve  the  outward 
semblance  of  good  relations  with  their  future  neighbors 
from  Jastrzeb,  and  they  were  persuaded  in  particular  by  the 
news,  which  he  brought  from  the  high  spheres,  that  "high 
life"  was  reconciled  to  the  idea  of  admitting  Hanka 
into  its  fold,  while  he,  on  the  other  hand,  wanted  to  see  her 
at  a  close  range  in  the  church.  After  their  visit,  during 
which  the  mother  and  daughter,  under  the  watchful  eye 
of  Dolhanski,  acted  not  only  properly  but  quite  amiably, 
Pani  Krzycki  revoked  her  resolution,  of  not  attending  the 
nuptial  rites. 

These  took  place  early  in  the  week  at  the  Church  of  the 
Order  of  Visitation  in  the  presence  of  a  great  concourse  of 
dames  from  the  "grand  world"  and  Dolhanski's  titled 
colleagues  from  the  club.  In  this  the  desire  to  take  a  close 
view  of  the  peasant-millionairess  played  as  important  a  part 
as  the  wish  to  see  Dolhanski.  Those  of  his  acquaintances 
who  knew  the  ladies  from  Gorek  had  previously  stated 
that  he  was  taking  a  lady  of  wealth,  but  old  and  ludicrous ; 
in  consequence  of  which  these  good  colleagues  wanted  to 
see  what  kind  of  mien  he  would  have,  so  that  they  might 
afterwards  have  a  subject  for  their  gibes  and  jests.  But  in 
this  respect  they  met  with  the  most  complete  disappoint- 
ment.   Dolhanski,  escorted  on  one  side  by  Gronski,  on  the 


340  WHIRLPOOLS, 

other  by  Count  Gil,  walked  through  the  church  with  such 
self-conjSdence,  such  sangfroid,  and  with  such  a  smile  on 
his  lips,  as  though  he  had  the  right  and  desire  to  jeer  at 
his  colleagues.  The  tall  and  gaunt  young  lady  did  not,  after 
all,  look  so  badly  in  her  lace  wedding  dress.  She  had  too 
much  powder  on  her  face;  her  veil  was  too  long,  and  too 
much  did  she  "tremble  like  a  leaf,"  which  created  an 
impression  that  this  leaf  did  that  a  little  purposely. 

There  was  nothing  in  her,  however,  to  excite  ridicule,  and, 
when  the  two  knelt  before  the  altar,  the  dames  and  beaux, 
looking  from  the  depth  of  the  church,  had  to  admit  that 
in  her  slender  white  form  there  was  some  charm.  But  the 
eyes  of  those  present  were  directed  principally  at  Hanka 
who  glided  through  the  nave  on  Ladislaus'  arm,  like  a 
light  spring  cloud.  To  the  gentlemen  of  the  club  it  seemed 
that  from  the  moment  of  her  entrance  the  church  grew 
brighter.  Count  Gil,  who  found  himself  near  her,  behind 
the  stalls,  later  stated  in  a  certain  salon  that  a  rosy  warmth 
radiated  from  her.  Others  at  once  corroborated  this  and 
to  the  mot  of  a  dame  that  in  order  to  find  favor  in  men's 
eyes  it  was  necessary  that  one  must  not  only  be  a  woman 
but  also  a  radiator,  they  replied  that  it  was  absolutely 
necessary. 

In  the  meanwhile  they  envied  Ladislaus  Mr.  Anney's 
millions  and  Hanka,  who  so  absorbed  to  herself  the  general 
attention  that  Pani  Otocka  and  Marynia  passed  by  almost 
unobserved.  Neither  appeared  to  the  best  advantage  that 
day.  In  Pani  Otocka,  Dolhanski's  marriage  aroused  a  cer- 
tain disgust,  which  was  reflected  in  her  countenance,  and 
Marynia  opened  her  lips  too  widely  out  of  curiosity,  and 
besides,  her  bared  arms  were  so  thin  and,  as  usual  with 
immature  girls,  were  so  red  that,  they  could  only  excite 
compassion.  The  ladies  of  the  "grand  world,"  besides, 
did  not  look  at  one  or  the  other  for  the  further  reason  that 
Ladislaus,  with  his  stature  and  visage  of  a  Uhlan  of  the 


WHIRLPOOLS.  341 

time  of  the  Duchy  of  Warsaw,  became  the  focus  upon 
which  the  rays  of  their  tortoise-shell  lorgnettes  were 
converged. 

With  the  appearance  of  the  priest  silence  fell  and  the 
rites  began.  The  lorgnettes  were  now  directed  towards 
the  altar.  In  the  distance  could  be  seen  floating  under  the 
orange  blossoms  the  bridal  veil  and  Dolhanski's  head, 
somewhat  bald  at  the  summit,  over  which  crept  the  re- 
flexes of  the  candles  flickering  in  the  dusk.  Krzycki, 
bending  towards  Hanka,  began  to  whisper:  "And  we  will 
soon — "  and  she  dropped  her  eyelids  in  sign  of  assent; 
after  which  when  their  eyes  met,  she  blushed  violently 
and  raised  her  lace  handkerchief  to  her  lips,  and  later 
fixed  her  gaze  upon  the  altar,  for  she  recalled  to  her  mind 
how,  not  long  before,  the  candles  flickered  in  the  same 
manner  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Cross,  when  together 
they  prayed  for  their  future  happiness.  Yes,  soon  they 
would  kneel  there  again  in  order  not  to  be  separated  for 
life,  and  this  thought,  so  full  of  sweetness  and  at  the  same 
time  of  uneasiness  of  feeling,  expanded  her  breast. 

In  the  meanwhile  in  the  silence  could  be  heard  the  voice 
of  the  priest:  "Edward,  do  you  take  Kajetana,  whom  you 
see  before  you,  for  wife?"  and  when  Dolhanski  firmly 
confirmed  this  and  Kajetana  mumbled  that  she  wanted 
this  Edward,  their  hands  were  bound  by  the  stole  and  the 
rites  rapidly  approached  an  end ;  then  the  hymeneal  party 
left  the  church.  The  bridal  couple  were  to  leave  for  a  tour 
abroad  within  two  hours,  but  before  that  in  the  dining- 
hall  of  the  hotel  a  dinner  awaited  them,  to  which,  of  the 
relatives  of  the  groom,  only  Pani  Krzycki,  Ladislaus, 
Hanka,  as  his  betrothed,  and  the  sisters  were  invited; 
of  the  more  distant,  Gronski  and  Count  Gil,  as  groomsmen 
attended.  The  dinner  with  the  inevitable  toasts  did  not 
last  long;  after  it  the  newly- married  pair  repaired  to  their 
separate  apartments  and  after  a  certain  time  reappeared 


342  WHIRLPOOLS. 

attired  in  their  travelling  clothes.  Then  began  the  usual 
bustle  preceding  a  journey;  trunks,  small  luggage,  and 
bright  travelling  paraphernalia  were  hauled  out.  Dolhanski 
during  the  dinner  and  these  last  moments  displayed  such 
sangfroid  and  such  phlegm  that  all  the  lords  of  England 
might  envy  him.  Without  the  least  haste  he  conversed 
with  the  gentlemen;  he  expressed  his  regrets  to  Marynia 
that  he  could  not  be  at  the  concert;  to  Pani  Otocka  he 
said  that  he  owed  to  her  in  a  great  measure  his  happiness 
of  that  day;  and  afterwards  intrusted  Gorek  to  the 
neighborly  care  of  Krzycki,  and  bantered  with  Gronski, 
trying  to  persuade  him  to  follow  in  his  footsteps. 

This  superb  calmness  of  his  contrasted  strangely  with 
the  uneasiness  and  distraction  of  the  bride.  For  a  half 
hour  before  the  departure  and  immediately  after  donning 
her  travelling  robe,  she  began  to  stare  at  her  mother  with 
an  inquiring  look  as  if  awaiting  from  her  something  which 
was  overlooked  or  forgotten  and  which  under  no  circum- 
stances ought  to  be  overlooked.  This  continued  so  long 
that  it  attracted  general  attention,  and  when  Pani  Wlocek 
did  not  appear  to  understand  the  inquiring  look,  Kajetana 
beckoned  her  for  a  confidential  talk  in  a  room  adjoining 
the  dining-hall. 

To  the  ears  of  the  guests  there  began  to  reach  for  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  some  alarming  though  muffled  cries  of, 
"Ah!"  and  "Oh!"  and  after  an  interval  the  bride  entered 
with  her  eyes  covered  by  her  palms.  But  after  a  while 
she  dropped  her  hands  alongside  her  dress  and  gazing  at 
Golhanski  with  the  look  of  an  antelope  at  a  lion,  she  asked 
in  an  almost  inaudible  voice: 

"Edward,  perhaps  it  is  already  time?" 

Gronski,  Krzycki,  and  Count  Gil  bit  their  lips,  while  Dol- 
hanski  glanced  at  his  watch  and  said : 

"We  have  yet  five  minutes." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  343 


X 

The  cloudlets  looming  between  Hanka  and  Ladislaus 
began  by  degrees  to  be  transformed  into  clouds.  At  times 
they  ceased  to  mutually  understand  each  other.  Hanka 
was  more  and  more  disturbed  by  the  thought  whether 
Ladislaus,  notwithstanding  his  good  heart  and  his  ability  to 
appreciate  everything  which  is  exalted  and  noble,  was  not 
a  weak  character,  that  in  a  moment  of  sudden  impulse  or 
passionate  ecstasy  is  unable  to  resist  and  cannot  muster 
within  himself  sufficient  strength,  even  though  his  own 
worth  is  involved,  and  at  this  thought  she  was  oppressed  by 
a  deep  sorrow.  But  she  was  yet  more  painfully  nettled  on 
another  side  of  the  matter.  This  was  that  she  arrived  at 
the  conviction  that  his  feelings  towards  her  were  better, 
purer  and,  as  it  were,  more  shy  at  the  time  when  he  thought 
that  she  was  Miss  Anney.  She  remembered  various  mo- 
ments, both  in  Jastrzeb  and  in  Warsaw,  in  which  she  was 
certain  that  this  burning  flame  of  love,  which  glowed  in 
his  heart,  was  at  the  same  time  a  sacrificial  flame  of  esteem. 
And  now  when  she  had  told  him  that  she  is  the  former 
Hanka  that  pure  fire  has  changed  into  an  ignition  of  the 
senses.  Why?  Was  the  cause  of  this  their  former  sin; 
was  it  that  she  was  a  peasant?  In  the  answer  to  those 
questions  lay  the  pain,  for  Hanka  felt  that  whatever 
happened  was  the  result  of  these  causes. 

But  she  was  mistaken  in  thinking  that  Ladislaus  did  not 
understand  that  just  for  these  two  reasons  he  ought  to 
act  directly  contrary,  in  order  to  efface  in  her  the  memory 
of  sin  and  to  raise  her  in  her  own  eyes  and  to  respect  her 
as  his  future  wife.     He  understood  this  quite  clearly,  and 


344  WHIRLPOOLS. 

often  it  happened  that  after  parting  from  her  he  upbraided 
himself,  not  mincing  words,  and  in  his  soul  made  a  solemn 
promise  of  reformation.  But  as  in  his  easy  life  he  had  not 
accustomed  himself  to  contend  with  anything  and,  above 
all,  with  himself,  therefore  this  lasted  but  a  short  time  — 
as  long  only  as  he  was  away  from  her,  as  long  as  he  was 
not  enveloped  by  the  warmth  emanating  from  her;  only 
when  he  was  not  ^absorbed  with  her  eyes;  did  not 
feel  her  hand  in  his  own,  and  did  not  intoxicate  himself 
with  her  feminine  attractions.  Then  reason  blinded  in 
him  and  darkened;  he  became  the  slave  of  blood,  full  of 
sophisms,  the  agent  of  senses,  and  the  recollection  of  the 
former  Hanka,  instead  of  repressing  the  temptation,  only 
increased  it  the  more. 

Under  such  conditions,  sooner  or  later,  the  storm  had 
to  break  above  the  heads  of  both  and  create  desolation. 
Accordingly  it  burst  sooner  than  Krzycki  could  have 
foreseen. 

One  day,  coming  at  the  twilight  hour  to  Hanka,  he  found 
her  in  a  strange  and  unusual  condition.  She  was  agitated, 
her  countenance  was  suffused  with  blushes,  her  eyes  were 
red,  and  the  hand  which  she  tendered  to  him,  palpably 
trembled.  At  the  beginning  she  did  not  want  to  tell  him 
what  was  the  matter,  but  when  they  sat  beside  each  other, 
he  began  to  beg  of  her  that  she  would  not  make  anything 
a  secret  with  him,  but  to  tell  him  what  occurred,  not  only 
as  a  fianc^,  but  as  her  best  friend. 

Hanka  was  always  conciliated  by  an  appeal  to  friendship. 
Therefore  after  a  while  she  said,  smiling  sadly: 

"I  was  not  concerned  about  any  secret  but  I  preferred 
to  keep  to  myself  an  unpleasantness.  Did  you,  sir,  ever 
notice  my  servant,  Pauly?" 

(Hanka  from  a  certain  time  addressed  her  fianc6  as 
"sir,"  believing  that  in  this  manner  she  would  hold  him 
more  easily  at  a  proper  distance.) 


WHIRLPOOLS.  345 

"Pauly?"  repeated  Ladislaus,  and  though,  after  all, 
he  thus  far  had  done  nothing  with  which  to  reproach 
himself,  a  sudden  disquiet  arose  in  him.  "Pauly?  Why 
of  course !  Why,  she  was  at  Jastrzeb  and  I  saw  her  here 
everyday.    What  happened  ? " 

"She  created  for  me  a  horribly  disagreeable  scene  and 
has  left  me." 

"Why?" 

"That  is  just  what  I  do  not  know.  She  always  w^as  very 
violent  and  nervous,  but  very  honest.  So  I  was  attached 
to  her  and  I  thought  that  she  would  be  attached  to  me. 
But  for  some  time  I  have  observed  in  her  something  like 
a  dislike  to  me,  with  each  day  greater.  Really,  I  never 
was  harsh  to  her;  even  the  contrary.  So  I  attributed 
everything  to  the  nerves.  In  the  meantime,  to-day,  it 
came  to  an  outburst  and  it  is  so  disagreeable  to  me !  so 
disagreeable!" 

Hanka's  voice  faltered,  and  it  could  be  seen  that  she  felt 
the  whole  occurrence  deeply.  So  Ladislaus  pressed  her 
hand  to  his  lips  and  asked  with  sympathy 

"AVhat  kind  of  outburst  was  it?" 

"This  afternoon,  or  rather  after  Marynia's  return  from 
the  rehearsal,  we  were  to  ride  up  town  with  Zosia.  So, 
desiring  to  change  my  dress,  I  ordered  her  to  hand  it  to 
me.  Pauly  went  after  it  as  usual  and  brought  it,  but  sud- 
denly she  threw  it  upon  the  ground  and  began  to  trample 
upon  it,  and  in  addition  screamed  in  a  loud,  shrill  voice  that 
she  would  serve  me  no  longer.  At  first  I  was  stupefied,  for 
it  occurred  to  me  that  she  had  become  insane." 

"She  surely  is  insane!"  interrupted  Ladislaus;  "but 
what  further?" 

"She  slammed  the  door  and  left.  I  did  not  see  her  any 
more.  About  an  hour  later  somebody  came  for  her  things 
and  wages." 

Here  Hanka  began  to  shake  her  head. 


346  WHIRLPOOLS. 

''And  nevertheless  when  I  recall  her  dislike  and  what 
she  told  me  in  the  last  moments,  I  do  not  think  that  it  was 
an  attack  of  insanity;  it  was  only  an  outburst  of  hatred, 
which  she  could  no  longer  restrain  in  herself.  And  for  me 
this  is  such  a  disappointment,  such  a  disappointment !" 

"My  lady  —  Hanus,"  said  Ladislaus,  seizing  both 
of  her  hands,  "is  it  worth  while  to  take  to  heart  the  deed 
of  a  foolish  vixen?  For  she  is  a  foolish  vixen  —  nothing 
more.  It  is  enough  to  look  at  her.  Calm  yourself,  Hanus, 
—  this  is  only  a  momentary  matter  which  it  is  necessary 
to  forget  as  soon  as  possible.  Remember  who  you  are  and 
who  she  is !  Such  times  have  come  that  everything  is 
turned  topsy-turvy.  Such  occurrences  now  take  place 
everywhere.  But  they  will  pass  away.  In  the  meantime  we 
two  have  so  many  reasons  for  joy  that  in  view  of  them 
such  wretched  smarts  ought  to  disappear." 

And  he  began  to  press  alternately  her  hands  to  his  lips 
and  to  his  breast  and  gaze  in  her  eyes,  but  this  increased  her 
grief;  for  Hanka  desiring  to  spare  unnecessary  disagree- 
ableness  to  her  betrothed  and  herself  did  not  confess  every- 
thing to  him.  She  was  particularly  reticent  about  this, 
that  the  infuriated  servant,  on  leaving,  screamed  at  her  in 
her  eyes,  "You  base  peasant.  You  ought  to  serve  me,  not 
I  you  !  Your  place  is  with  cows,  not  in  the  palace  !"  Per- 
haps Hanka  might  not  have  taken  these  words  so  much  to 
heart  were  it  not  for  the  previous  friction  in  her  relations 
with  Ladislaus,  and  were  it  not  for  the  thought  that  he 
transgressed  certain  bounds  perhaps  because  she  was  his 
former  sweetheart  and  a  peasant.  But  just  this  reason 
caused  the  thorn  to  be  imbedded  in  her  heart  more  deeply 
and  bred  in  her  a  fear  as  to  future  life  in  which  similar 
scenes  might  be  repeated  more  frequently. 

So,  also,  his  words  about  the  happiness  awaiting  them 
were  only  drops  overflowing  the  cup  of  bitterness,  and  his 
caresses  affected  the  aggrieved  girl  like  a  child,  who  the 


WHIRLPOOLS.  347 

more  she  is  consoled  the  more  disconsolate  she  becomes. 
There  came  to  her  a  moment  of  weakness  and  exhaustion. 
The  usual  strength  deserted  her,  her  nerves  were  unstrung, 
and  she  began  to  sob,  but  feeling  at  the  same  time  ashamed 
of  her  tears  she  buried  her  face  in  his  breast. 

"Hanus,  my  Hanus  !"    repeated  Ladislaus. 

And  he  began  to  kiss  her  light  hair.  Afterwards  clasping 
her  temples  with  his  palms,  he  raised  her  tear-stained  face 
and  kissed  off  her  tears.  She  did  not  defend  herself;  so 
after  a  while  he  sought  with  his  mouth  her  quivering  lips. 

"Hanus!    Hanus!"    he  whispered  in  a  panting  voice. 

The  ferment  of  desire  more  and  more  obscured  his 
reason,  obscured  his  heart,  his  memory.  He  drank  from 
the  girl's  lips  while  his  breath  held  out,  he  forgot  himself 
like  a  drunkard  and  finally  seized  her  in  his  arms. 

"Hanus!  Hanus!" 

And  it  happened  that  he  offended  her  grievously,  that 
to  the  humiliation,  which  she  had  met  that  day,  he  added 
a  new  humiliation ;  to  insult,  a  new  insult  —  that  an 
abyss  plainly  separated  them  ! 


348  WHIRLPOOLS. 


XI 

When  on  the  morning  of  the  following  day  Ladislaus 
awoke  after  a  brief  feverish  sleep,  he  was  seized  by  grief  and 
an  insane  rage  at  himself.  He  recalled  everything  which 
had  taken  place.  He  remembered  that  his  parting  with 
Hanka  the  day  before  was  equivalent  to  being  shown  the 
door;  there  returned  to  him  as  a  wicked  echo  his  own 
wretched  and  dreadful  words  said  in  his  passion  at  the 
time  of  separation,  that  if  her  resistance  flowed  from  fear 
that  later  he  might  break  their  engagement,  then  let  her 
know  that  it  was  an  idle  fear.  And  so  he  imputed  this 
resistance  to  miserable  motives.  And  he,  a  man  who 
prided  himself  not  only  upon  his  good  breeding  but  also 
upon  a  subtile  sense  of  honor  and  personal  worthiness  — 
he,  Krzycki,  could  act  the  way  he  did  and  say  what  he 
said.  In  the  first  moments  after  opening  his  eyes,  it  seemed 
to  him  that  this  was  a  point-blank  impossibility;  some 
kind  of  a  continuation  of  the  nightmare  which  throttled  his 
slumber,  which  ought  to  disappear  with  the  light  of  day. 

But  that  nightmare  was  a  heavy  reality.  It  was  incum- 
bent upon  him  to  take  it  into  account  and  remedy  it  in  some 
manner.  He  sat  down  to  write  a  letter,  in  which  he  smote 
himself  upon  the  breast,  complained,  and  apologized.  He 
said  that  no  one  was  able  to  condemn  him  as  he  had  con- 
demned himself,  and  if  he  dared  to  beg  for  forgiveness  it 
was  only  in  hope  that  perhaps  some  voice,  some  echo  of 
the  better  moments  would  intercede  for  him  in  her  heart 
and  would  procure  for  him  forgiveness.  At  the  close  he 
begged  for  an  opportunity  of  repeating  in  person  the  words 
of  the  letter  and  for  an  answer,  even  in  case  the  sentence 
pronounced  against  him  was  final. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  349 

But  when  the  messenger  who  took  the  letter  informed 
him  upon  his  return  that  there  was  no  answer,  he  fell  into 
genuine  despair.  As  a  really  spoiled  child  of  life,  unac- 
customed to  opposition  and  obstacles,  and  one  convinced 
that  everything  was  due  him,  it  began  to  appear  to  him 
that  this  was  more  than  he  deserved;  that  he  was  the  in- 
jured party.  He  would  not  admit,  however,  that  all  was 
lost.  He  indulged  in  the  hope  that  Hanka  might,  before 
opening  the  letter,  have  announced  that  there  was  no  answer 
and  that  after  reading  it  she  would  be  moved,  would  relent, 
and  rescind  her  resolution.  Sustained  by  this  hope,  he 
dressed  himself,  strolled  over  the  city  for  an  hour  in  order 
to  give  Hanka  time  to  reckon  with  her  heart,  and  after- 
wards rang  the  bell  of  her  residence. 

But  he  was  not  received.  Then  it  occurred  to  him  to 
apply  to  Pani  Otocka.  After  a  while,  he  nevertheless 
perceived  that  the  causes  of  his  rupture  with  Hanka  were 
of  such  a  nature  that  it  was  impossible  to  discuss  them 
either  with  Pani  Otocka  or  his  mother.  In  his  soul  he 
now  began  to  accuse  Hanka  of  downright  cruelty,  but  at 
the  same  time  the  greater  the  difficulties  interposed  be- 
tween them  the  greater  was  his  grief.  He  could  not,  in 
any  measure,  be  reconciled  to  the  thought  that  whatever 
he  regarded  as  his  own  should  be  taken  away  from  him; 
and  as  is  usual  with  weak  persons,  he  began  to  commiserate 
himself. 

From  Pani  Otocka  he  went  to  Gronski,  regarding  him 
as  the  only  person  with  whom  he  could  speak  frankly  and 
whose  mediation  would  be  effective.  And  here  disap- 
pointment awaited  him.  Gronski  had  suffered  for  several 
days  with  his  eyes  and  was  not  allowed  to  read;  this 
put  him  into  a  bad  humor,  and  for  this  reason  he 
received  Ladislaus  more  indifferently  than  usual.  Ladis- 
laus  became  convinced  that  it  was  difficult  to  speak  of  the 
rupture  not  only  with  Pani  Otocka  and  his  mother,  but 


350  WHIRLPOOLS. 

even  with  a  man  and  old  friend  who  knew  of  his  former 
relations  with  Hanka.  A  feeling  of  shame  plainly  choked 
the  words  in  his  throat,  and  he  began  to  beat  about  the 
bush  and  palliate  things,  talk  in  empty  phrases  about  a 
misunderstanding  and  the  necessity  of  a  friendly  mediation, 
so  that  Gronski  at  last  asked,  with  a  shade  of  impatience : 

"Tell  me  plainly  about  what  you  had  a  falhng  out,  and 
then  I  can  tell  whether  I  will  undertake  to  bring  you 
together  again." 

And  evidently  he  did  not  attach  much  importance  to  the 
matter  for  he  waved  his  hand  and  said : 

"It  would  be  best  if  you  made  it  up  between  yourselves." 

"No,"  replied  Ladislaus;  "this  is  more  serious  than 
you  think,  and  we  ourselves  cannot  come  to  any  agreement." 

"Well,  finally,  what  was  it  about?" 

Shame,  exertion,  and  constraint  were  depicted  upon 
Ladislaus'  face. 

"In  a  moment  of  forgetfulness  and  ecstasy,"  he  said, 
"  I  passed  —  that  is  —  I  wanted  to  pass  —  certain  limits  — " 

And  he  stopped  abruptly. 

Gronski  began  to  look  at  him  with  amazed  eyes  and 
asked : 

"And  she?" 

"Why,  if  anything  had  happened  there  would  not  have 
been  any  rupture  and  I  surely  would  not  speak  of  it  now. 
She  ordered  me  to  the  door  and  not  to  show  myself  there 
any  more." 

"May  God  bless  her,"  exclaimed  Gronski. 

Silence  ensued.  Gronski  walked  with  big  paces  over 
the  room  repeating  every  little  while,  "  It  is  unbelievable ! " 
and  again,  "An  unheard-of  thing!"  and  in  addition  his 
face  became  more  and  more  severe  and  cold. 

After  which  he  sat  down  and,  looking  at  Ladislaus,  began 
to  speak  deliberately: 

"I  have  known  many  people  even  among  our  aristoc- 


WHIRLPOOLS.  351 

racy,  in  whom  beneath  the  veneer  of  society,  beneath  high 
descent  and  all  the  pretensions  of  elegant  breeding  were 
concealed  the  ordinary  coarse,  low,  peasant  instincts.  If 
this  observation  can  be  applied  to  you  as  a  comfort,  accept 
it,  for  I  have  no  other  for  you." 

A  sudden  wave  of  anger  swept  over  Ladislaus'  heart  and 
brain.  For  a  while  he  struggled  with  himself  in  order  not 
to  explode  and  answer  insult  with  insult;  in  the  end  he 
subdued  himself  and  replied  in  a  hollow  voice : 

"I  deserve  it." 

But  Gronski,  not  disarmed  by  this  confession,  continued : 

"No,  my  dear  sir,  I  will  not  undertake  your  defence, 
for  I  should  act  contrary  to  my  convictions.  To  you  less 
than  to  any  one  else  was  it  allowable  to  indulge  yourself, 
even  out  of  regard  for  the  past.  And  your  fiancee  must 
have  so  understood  it,  and  besides  she  did  not  forget  her 
extraction.  To  you  it  was  less  permissible !  She  was  a 
hundred  times  right  in  showing  you  the  door.  The  matter 
is  really  more  serious  than  I  thought,  and  so  serious  that  I 
do  not  see  any  help  for  it.  You  did  not  respect  Hanka, 
your  future  wife,  and  therefore  yourself  and  your  own 
honor.  In  view  of  this  how  can  she  honor  you  and  what 
can  she  think  of  you  ?" 

"I  know,"  said  Ladislaus  in  the  same  hollow  voice,  "and 
I  have  said  all  this  to  myself  in  almost  the  same  words. 
I  wrote  a  letter  to  her  this  morning,  begging  for  forgiveness 

—  there  was  no  answer.  I  went  to  her  personally  —  I  was 
not  received.    So  I  came  to  you  as  the  last  refuge  —  for 

—  for  me  there  pleads  only  one  thing  —  I  acted  badly, 
brutally,  and  scurvily,  but  I  have  not  ceased  to  love  her. 
There  is  no  life  for  me  without  her,  and  though  you  may 
not  believe  it,  nevertheless  it  is  so  that  under  the  frenzy 
which  possessed  me,  under  that  froth  which  blinded  me 
and  under  which  I  to-day  sink,  lies  the  feeling  not  only 
deep  but  pure  —  " 


352  WHIRLPOOLS. 

Gronski  again  began  to  measure  with  great  steps  the 
room  for  he  was  somewhat  touched  by  Ladislaus'  words. 

While  the  latter  continued : 

"If  she  will  not  read  my  letters  and  will  not  receive  me, 
then  I  will  not  be  able  to  tell  her  that.  Hence  it  is  impera- 
tive that  some  one  should  speak  to  her  in  my  name.  I 
cannot  apply  either  to  Mother  or  Pani  Zosia  in  this.  I 
thought  that  you,  sir  —  but  since  you  decline,  I  now  have 
no  one." 

"Look,  however,  into  the  eyes  of  reality,"  said  Gronski 
more  gently,  "for  it  may  be  that  her  love  for  you  was  at 
once  torn  into  shreds.  In  such  case  from  where  will  she 
take  it  when  she  no  longer  possesses  it?" 

"Let  her  tell  me  so;  that  at  least  is  yet  due  to  me." 

Again  silence  fell. 

"Listen,"  Gronski  finally  said,  "I  always  was  a  friend 
of  yours  and  of  your  mother,  but  this  mission  which  you 
want  to  intrust  to  me  I  cannot  undertake.  I  cannot 
among  other  reasons,  because  if  your  fiancee  does  not 
reply  to  you,  so  likewise  she  may  not  reply  to  me.  One 
look,  one  word,  will  close  my  mouth  and  with  this  it  would 
end.  But  try  another  method.  Panna  Hanka  comes 
quite  often  with  Marynia  to  the  rehearsals,  at  which  I  am 
always  present,  and  afterwards  I  escort  both  home.  Come 
with  me.  You  may  find  an  opportunity  to  speak  with  her. 
During  the  return  home  I  will  take  Marynia  and  you  will 
remain  with  her.  I  think  that  she  will  not  repel  you  even 
though  out  of  regard  for  Marynia,  to  whom  she  would  not 
wish  to  divulge  what  had  passed  between  you.  —  Then 
tell  her  what  you  have  said  to  me  and  also  beg  her  for  an 
interview,  which,  if  it  cannot  be  otherwise  —  will  be  final. 
It  will  be  necessary  somehow  to  give  to  the  world  some 
plausible  excuse  for  your  rupture;  so  I  presume  she  will 
agree  to  that.    If  not,  we  will  think  of  something  else." 

Ladislaus  began  to  wring  his  hands  and  said : 


WHIRLPOOLS.  353 

"Perhaps  through  Zosia  we  could  ascertain  whether 
this  is  forever." 

"You  understand  that  she  may  not  have  wished  to  dis- 
cuss the  cause  of  your  rupture  even  with  Pani  Zosia." 

"I  understand,  I  understand." 

"But  you  now  have  a  fever,"  said  Gronski,  "your  hands 
are  burning.     Go,  try  to  cool  off  and  calm  yourself." 


23 


354  WHIRLPOOLS. 


XII 

Laskowicz  now  beheld  Marynia,  indeed  from  a  distance, 
but  daily.  Even  on  rainy  days,  when  she  did  not  walk  to 
the  rehearsals,  but  rode,  he  lay  in  wait  on  the  stairway  of 
the  edifice,  in  order  to  see  her  alight  from  the  carriage. 
On  fair  days  he  usually  waited  near  her  home,  and  after- 
wards followed  after  her  to  the  hall.  As  among  the  em- 
ployees in  the  building  were  found  a  few  "associates," 
these  facilitated  his  admittance  to  the  rehearsals.  To  hide 
in  the  boxes  or  in  the  seats  at  the  end  of  the  rows  was  easy, 
as  during  the  rehearsals  only  the  stage  was  fully  lit  up  and 
in  the  auditorium  itself  the  dusk  was  illumined  by  only  a 
few  lamps,  which  were  lit  in  order  that  the  handful  of 
privileged  lovers  of  music,  who  occupied  the  seats  behind 
the  orchestra,  might  not  be  plunged  in  complete  darkness. 
Amidst  these  privileged  ones,  Laskowicz  often  recognized 
acquaintances,  —  Gronski,  Pani  Otocka,  the  old  notary. 
Miss  Anney,  sometimes  Krzycki,  and  two  or  three  times, 
Dr.  Szremski.  But  notwithstanding  his  hatred  of  Ladis- 
laus  and  dislike  of  the  doctor  and  Gronski,  he  was  little 
occupied  by  them  and  thought  of  them  very  little,  as  his 
eyes  could  not  even  for  a  moment  be  torn  from  Marynia. 
He  encompassed  with  his  gaze  her  girlish  form,  standing 
out  on  the  edge  of  the  stage,  bathed  in  a  lustre  of  elec- 
tricity, luminous  of  her  own  accord,  and  involuntarily 
she  reminded  him  of  that  alabaster  statuette,  which  the 
venerable  canon  deemed  his  greatest  treasure.  Laskowicz 
was  not  an  educated  man.  His  one-sided  study  of  physics 
had  contracted  his  intellectual  horizon  and  he  was  incap- 
able of  rendering  to  himself  a  clear  account  of  certain 


WHIRLPOOLS.  355 

impressions.  Nevertheless,  when  he  gazed  on  that  maid, 
with  violin  in  hand,  on  her  pure  calm  countenance,  on  the 
elongated  outlines  of  her  figure  and  dress,  there  awakened 
in  him  a  half  conscious  feeling  that  in  her  there  was  some- 
thing of  poetry,  and  something  of  the  church.  She  seemed 
to  him  an  artless  supernal  vision,  to  which  one  might  pray. 

Accordingly  he  deified  her  in  his  wild,  fanatical  soul. 
But  there  raged  within  him  a  revolt  against  all  divinities, 
therefore  he  fought  with  his  own  feelings  and  struggled  to 
depress  and  weed  them  out  to  the  last  extremity.  Inten- 
tionally he  plucked  off  the  wings  of  his  own  thoughts: 
intentionally  he  imposed  fetters  upon  his  vagaries  and  un- 
chained his  concupiscence.  He  discomfited  himself, 
tortured  himself,  and  suffered. 

Often  he  stood  on  the  brink  of  madness  —  and  in  such 
cases  he  was  ready  to  annihilate,  slaughter,  and  set  fire  to 
the  whole  city  in  order  to  seize,  amidst  the  bloodshed  and 
conflagration,  this  silvery  maid  and  possess  her,  —  and 
afterward  perish  with  her  and  all  others.  He  imagined 
that  during  the  revolutionary  storm,  which  the  waves  of 
the  proletariat  would  stir  up,  such  an  universal  hour  of 
annihilation  might  strike.  But  when  reality  scattered 
these  dreams,  when  moments  occurred  in  which  it  became 
plain  that  the  people  themselves  put  a  muzzle  upon  the 
jaws  of  the  revolutionary  dragon,  then  the  gory  vision 
evaporated  into  vacuous  smoke,  and  only  exhaustion  and 
confusion  remained,  for  this  gloomy  proletaire  felt  that 
as  long  as  he  had  strength  the  storm  would  rage,  and 
that  when  it  passed  away  he  would  sink  into  complete 
nothingness. 

Hence,  in  his  heart  bitterness  and  jealousy  accumulated 
more  and  more.  He  loved  Marynia  and  at  the  same  time 
he  hated  her,  for  he  thought  that  she  looked  upon  him  as 
a  worm  which  squirms  at  her  feet,  unworthy  of  a  glance. 
He  was  confirmed  in  this  conviction  by  the  fact  that  his 


356  WHIRLPOOLS. 

letters  evidently  did  not  make  the  slightest  impression  upon 
her  and  did  not  disturb  her  usual  tranquillity.  Laskowicz 
had  given  his  word  to  Pauly  that  he  would  see  Marynia 
only  from  a  distance,  and  he  could  not  approach  her, 
because  she  was  never  out  alone.  But  in  reality  he  could 
not  conjecture  that  those  letters  were  received  and  burnt 
by  Pani  Otocka  and  that  Marynia  knew  nothing  about 
them.  It  appeared  to  him  that  his  passionate  appeals  in 
which  the  words,  "Beloved!  beloved!"  were  repeated 
every  little  while,  and  those  fiery  outbursts  in  which  he 
prostrated  himself  in  humility  at  her  adored  feet  must 
have  represented  him  to  her  as  the  ruling  king-soul  shoving 
the  human  wave  into  the  unknown  future,  and  ought  to 
have  evoked  some  result.  "  Let  it  be  anger,  let  it  be  hatred," 
he  said  to  himself  in  his  soul,  "but  here  there  is  nothing! 
She  passes  by  me  as  if  I  was  a  street  cur ;  she  does  not  see 
me;  she  does  not  deign  to  recognize  me." 

In  fact  it  was  so.  In  the  moments  when  they  passed  each 
other  on  the  street,  Marynia  did  not  and  could  not  recognize 
Laskowicz,  for  after  his  departure  from  Jastrzeb  he  allowed 
his  youthful  beard  to  grow,  and  afterwards,  Swidwicki, 
in  order  to  disguise  him  in  the  eyes  of  the  police,  bleached 
his  beard,  together  with  his  mustache  and  the  hair  on  his 
head,  a  light  yellow.  His  clothes  and  spectacles  also 
changed  his  appearance  but  he  forgot  about  that,  and  he 
fretted  with  the  supposition  that  her  eyes  do  not  see  him 
or  do  not  recognize  him,  firstly,  because  a  recollection  of 
him  never  comes  to  her  mind,  and  again  because  she  be- 
longs to  some  kind  of  social  Olympus  and  he  to  the  "pro- 
letarian garbage-box." 

Under  such  impressions  his  anguish  changed  into  fury. 
With  savage  satisfaction,  he  thought  of  this:  that  there 
might  come  a  time  when  the  fate  of  this  "sacred  doll" 
and  all  her  kin  would  be  in  his  hands.  He  persuaded  him- 
self that  that  moment  would  be  a  triumph  for  himself 


WHIRLPOOLS.  357 

personally  and  for  the  "good  cause,"  and  therefore  he 
rejoiced  at  this  conjunction.  He  pictured  to  himself  what 
would  happen  when  Marynia  came  to  him  to  beg  for  a 
favor  for  herself  and  her  relatives.  Whether,  at  that  time, 
he  would  prostrate  himself  on  the  ground  before  her  and 
tell  her  to  plant  her  foot  on  his  head,  or  whether  he  would 
seize  her  in  his  arms  and  afterwards  pass  time  away 
shamelessly  —  he  did  not  know.  He  only  had  a  feeling 
that  he  could  do  one  or  the  other. 

In  the  meantime  he  often  said  to  himself  that  he  ought 
not  to  see  her  any  more,  and  decided  to  seek  her  no  more, 
but  on  the  following  day  he  rushed  to  the  place  where  he 
could  meet  her.  He  struggled  with  himself,  he  was  torn 
inwardly,  and  became  exhausted  to  such  an  extent  that  he 
began  to  fail  in  health.  Want  of  such  air  as  he  breathed 
in  Jastrzeb,  the  necessity  of  hiding  from  the  police,  un- 
easiness, lack  of  sleep,  sudden  and  painful  spiritual  changes 
sapped  his  strength.  He  became  haggard,  swarthy,  and 
at  times  he  thought  that  death  threatened  not  on  the  gallows 
but  in  a  hospital. 

In  such  a  disposition  was  he  found  by  Pauly,  who  after 
her  scene  with  Hanka,  dashed  like  a  whirlwind  into  his 
little  garret  room. 

Her  face  was  so  changed,  so  pale,  so  sickly  and  malignant, 
and  her  eyes  glittered  so  feverishly  that  at  the  first  glance 
he  knew  that  she  was  driven  to  him  by  some  extraordinary 
accident  and  he  asked : 

"What  has  happened?" 

"I  am  no  longer  with  that  low  peasant." 

And  she  remained  silent  for  she  could  not  catch  her 
breath,  and  only  her  face  was  twitching  nervously. 

Laskowicz  understood  only  that  she  had  abandoned  her 
employment  and  looked  at  her  with  a  questioning  gaze, 
awaiting  further  explanations. 

"Then,  sir,  you  do  not  know,"  she  broke  out  after  a 


358  WHIRLPOOLS. 

while,  "then  you  do  not  know  that  he  is  to  marry  her? 
And  that  she  is  no  Englishwoman,  but  only  a  low  peasant ! 
And  such  a  one  I  served !  He  is  to  marry  her  —  a  low 
peasant !  —  a  low  peasant !  —  he !  " 

And  her  voice  changed  into  a  shrill  nervous  hiccough. 
Laskowicz  was  frightened  at  her  transports,  but  at  the 
same  time  breathed  easily.  Howsoever  he  might  long 
since  have  conjectured  that  Krzycki's  affections  were 
directed  towards  Miss  Anney  and  not  towards  Marynia, 
he  was  nevertheless  pleased  in  his  soul  that  reality  corrob- 
orated those  conjectures. 

Living,  however,  in  a  world  which  no  echoes  of  the  higher 
social  sphere  reach,  and  knowing  nothing  of  the  transforma- 
tion of  Miss  Anney  into  a  Polish  peasant  woman,  he  began 
to  interrogate  Pauly  minutely  because  the  affair  aroused 
his  curiosity ;  he  wished  also  to  give  time  to  the  excited 
girl  to  calm  herself.  But  this  last  was  not  an  easy  matter, 
and  he  long  had  to  put  questions  to  her  to  elicit  the  news 
which  Swidwicki  had  first  told  her  that  Miss  Anney  was  a 
simple  peasant  woman,  but  which,  however,  she  did  not 
at  first  believe,  as  he  said  it  while  under  the  influence  of 
intoxicants.  Only  from  the  conversations  which  she  over- 
heard did  she  become  convinced  not  only  of  the  truth  of 
the  statement  but  also  that  Krzycki  was  to  wed  Miss  Anney. 
Afterwards  she  peeped  through  the  keyhole  and  saw  him 
kneel  before  her  and  kiss  her  hands.  Then  she  could  not 
restrain  herself  any  longer  and  at  the  first  opportunity 
flung  at  the  feet  of  her  mistress  her  "linen  frock,"  and, 
reviling  her  as  a  base  peasant,  left  her  service. 

Here  again  indignation  began  to  seize  her  so  that  Las- 
kowicz from  fear  that  she  might  have  an  attack  of  convul- 
sions, said: 

"We  will  consult  together  about  this,  but  only  let  the 
lady  be  pacified." 

But  she  replied  with  increasing  irritation : 


WHIRLPOOLS.  359 

"I  did  not  come  here  for  you  to  pacify  me.  You,  sir, 
have  prated  about  our  mutual  wrongs  and  now  you  order 
me  to  be  pacified.    I  want  help  and  not  your  chatter." 

"You  are  anxious  that  he  should  not  marry  her?" 

"And  what  else  do  you  suppose?" 

In  any  case  Laskowicz  would  have  sided  with  the  girl 
for  he  was  obligated  to  do  that  by  gratitude  to  her  for 
saving  his  life,  by  the  similarity  of  their  lot,  and  those 
"joint  wrongs"  of  which  he  himself  had  previously  spoken 
to  Pauly,  and  of  which  she  now  reminded  him.  But  the 
existence  of  Krzycki  at  present  ceased  to  stand  in  his  way 
and  Miss  Anney's  existence  less  so.  Only  one  thing  he 
could  not  forgive  in  her: 

"She  was  a  peasant  woman,  she  was  a  wage-earner,  and 
afterwards  became  a  female  bourgeois.  In  this  is  the 
crime." 

"  In  it  or  not  in  it,  it  is  now  I  or  she !  Do  you  understand, 
sir?" 

"I  understand,  but  what  is  to  be  done?" 

"When  you  ran  away  from  the  police,  I  did  not  ask 
what  was  to  be  done." 

"I  remember." 

"And  you  said  at  Swidwicki's  that  your  people  could 
accomplish  everything." 

"For  it  is  so." 

"So  if  he  only  does  not  marry  her,  then  even  let  the 
world  end." 

Laskowicz  began  to  look  at  her  with  his  closely  set  eyes 
and  after  a  moment  commenced  to  speak  slowly  and  with 
emphasis : 

"Krzycki  was  once  already  condemned  and  lives, 
thanks  to  you,  lady,  but  if  he  gets  a  bullet  in  his  head,  then 
he  will  marry  no  one." 

But  she,  hearing  this,  turned  pale  as  a  corpse;  in  the 
same  moment  she  sprang  at  him  with  her  finger-nails  ! 


360  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"What !"  she  cried  in  a  hoarse  voice ;  "what  1  he !  Let 
but  a  hair  fall  from  his  head,  then,  I  will  have  you  all  —  " 

Laskowicz's  patience,  however,  was  exhausted.  He  was 
irritated,  torn  internally  and  sick ;  hence,  after  her  threat, 
a  wave  of  bitterness  and  rage  flooded  his  brains.  He 
started  up  and,  glaring  in  her  eyes,  shouted ! 

"Do  not  threaten  with  betrayal,  for  that  is  death  !" 

"Death?"  she  screamed.  "Death!  this  is  what  life  is 
to  me!" 

And  shoving  her  palm  close  to  his  face,  she  blew  on  it  so 
that  her  breath  moistened  him,  and  repeated: 

"Look !    This  is  what  life  is  to  me." 

"And  to  me,"  exclaimed  Laskowicz. 

For  an  interval  they  stared  in  each  other's  eyes  like  two 
odious  and  despairing  souls.  He  recovered  his  wits  first, 
and  clasping  his  head  with  both  hands,  said: 

"Oh,  how  unfortunate  we  are !  oh  1" 

"  Yes  !  yes  !"   reiterated  Panna  Pauly. 

And  she  began  to  sob  hysterically. 

Then  he  commenced  to  quiet  her.  He  promised  her 
that  nothing  should  befall  Krzycki  and  that  his  marriage 
would  not  under  any  circumstances  take  place.  He  said 
that  at  that  moment  he  could  not  indeed  disclose  to  her 
what  measures  would  be  adopted,  but  he  assured  her  that 
neither  he  nor  his  party  would  show  any  consideration  to 
a  mere  female  bourgeois,  as  here  was  involved  a  higher 
social  justice,  which  does  not  need  to  take  into  account 
any  particular  individual.  Pauly  only  understood  that 
that  "low  peasant"  would  not  wed  the  young  master  of 
Jastrzeb,  and  became  appeased  in  some  measure:  and 
afterwards,  both,  from  necessity,  became  occupied  with 
other  matters.  It  was  imperative  that  some  kind  of  shelter 
be  found  for  the  young  girl :  so  Laskowicz  placed  her  with 
"a  female  associate"  residing  in  the  neighborhood,  who 
immediately  went  for  her  wages  and  belongings.    He  him- 


WHIRLPOOLS.  361 

self  returned  to  his  own  rooms  and  began  to  revolve  in  his 
mind  how  he  could  repay  Panna  Pauly  for  saving  his  life. 

And  in  this  feeling  of  gratitude  lay  the  first  reason  why 
he  took  the  matter  to  heart.  A  second  reason  was  his  own 
ill-luck  and  ill-fated  love  for  Marynia  which  made  him 
sensitive  to  similar  strifes ;  and  the  third  was  that  "social 
justice"  which  he  mentioned  to  Pauly.  As  to  the  third 
reason  he  felt,  however,  the  necessity  of  deliberating  with 
his  own  soul  in  order  that  when  the  time  for  action  arrived 
his  hands  would  be  untied,  and  under  the  pressure  of  this 
necessity  he  began  to  reason  in  the  following  fashion : 

"On  the  background  of  the  general  concern  of  the 
proletariat,  personal  affairs  will  appear.  It  might  be  said 
that  the  general  concern  is  the  sum-total  of  them  all.  In 
this  respect  whoever  stands  in  defence  of  the  personal 
affair  of  a  proletaire  by  that  act  alone  defends  universal 
principles.  But  here  comes  the  question  of  ethics.  Whither 
are  we  tending  ?  To  universal  justice.  Ergo,  our  principle 
is  moral  for  it  is  only  the  sum-total  of  personal  affairs: 
therefore  these  personal  affairs  also  must  be  moral.  From 
this  it  follows  that  the  proletaire,  who  is  in  the  wrong  in  a 
controversy  with  a  bourgeois,  nevertheless  has  justice  on 
his  side  simply  because  he  is  a  proletaire.  In  this  world 
everything  is  relative.  A  soldier,  slaying  his  opponent  in  a 
war,  commits  manslaughter;  therefore  the  act  itself  is 
not  ethical.  But  as  he  commits  it  in  defense  of  Fatherland, 
therefore,  from  the  viewpoint  of  national  welfare  he  acts 
ethically.  If  in  addition  thereto  he  has  the  spur  of  personal 
hatred  to  an  antagonist,  his  act  would  gain  in  energy  and 
would  not  lose  its  additional  significance  for  Fatherland. 
For  us,  the  Polish  proletariat  is  the  nation  and  the  idea  of 
their  emancipation,  the  Fatherland.  For  this  we  wage  war 
and  if  there  is  war,  then  murder  and  injuries  are  inflicted 
upon  the  antagonists;  and  even  though  the  motives  for 
them  might  be  personal,  they  nevertheless  are  not  only 


362  WHIRLPOOLS.. 

justifiable  but  are  covered  a  hundred-fold  by  the  universal 
welfare." 

"  Besides,"  —  he  reasoned  further  — ,  "the  quintessence 
of  our  existence  is  unhappiness;  and  from  unhappiness 
as  well  as,  inversely,  from  happiness  must  blossom  cor- 
responding deeds.  This  is  a  necessity  flowing  from  the 
nature  of  things ;  and  with  this  ethics  have  nothing  to  do. 
I  and  that  rabid  girl  are  luckless,  like  homeless  dogs ;  in 
view  of  which  it  is  all  one  whether  a  wrong  was  perpe- 
trated upon  us  intentionally  or  unintentionally;  just  as  it 
is  all  one  to  the  wolf  whether  the  forester  who  shoots  him 
in  the  head,  hunted  him  purposely  or  whether  they  met 
by  chance.  The  wolf  has  teeth  to  defend  himself.  That 
is  his  right.  The  moment  has  come  when  our  fangs  have 
grown;  therefore  we  have  the  right  to  mangle. 

"  As  to  that  girl,  she  is  mangled  by  despair  which  can 
only  be  assuaged  by  revenge.  Is  it  just?  Will  it  be 
beneficial  to  the  girl  ?  That  is  all  one.  The  wage-earners 
without  work  and  bread  drown  their  woes  in  alcohol ;  the 
bourgeois  in  case  of  pain  injects  morphine  into  himself, 
and  for  her,  revenge  will  be  alcohol  and  morphine.  What- 
ever may  be  the  consequences,  she  will  destroy  the  happi- 
ness of  the  pampered ;  she  will  change  their  joy  into  tears ; 
she  will  break  their  lives  and  raze  a  particle  of  that  world, 
which  lies  heavily,  like  a  nightmare,  upon  the  breasts  of  the 
proletariat.  So  it  is  necessary  to  aid  that  revenge,  for  so 
does  gratitude  for  saving  life  command ;  likewise  common 
wrong,  also  the  good  of  the  cause." 

In  view  of  this,  it  already  seemed  to  Laskowicz  a  matter 
of  minor  importance  whether  in  that  aid  a  r6le  would  be 
played  by  a  knife,  or  by  a  revolver,  or  by  casting  upon 
Hanka  some  ignominy,  after  which  nothing  would  remain 
for  her  to  do  but  to  fly  and  hide  herself  forever  from  human 
eyes.  Neither  opportunity  nor  willing  hands  were  wanting. 
It  was  only  necessary  to  deliberate  upon  the  choice:  and 
afterwards  to  act  promptly  and  decisively. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  363 

With  this  he  went  to  Pauly  who  agreed  to  everything. 
As  a  compensation  he  demanded  that  she  should  release 
him  from  his  promise  to  see  Marynia  only  from  a  distance, 
and  he  secured  that  with  ease.  He  evidently  wanted  to 
have  his  hands  untied  also  in  that  regard. 


364  WHIRLPOOLS. 


XIII 

"  Here  is  ,the  answer  which  I  finally  received,  "said  Lad- 
islaus,  handing  a  letter  to  Gronski;  "I  could  not  expect 
anything  else." 

"I  knew  that  you  would  receive  it,"  replied  Gronski, 
blinking  with  his  ailing  eyes  and  searching  for  his  binocle, 
"I  was  already  informed  of  it  by  Pani  Otocka,  who  from 
the  beginning  insisted  that  Miss  Anney  ought  to  answer 
you,  and  in  the  end  prevailed  upon  her." 
Ladislaus  reddened  and  asked: 
"Ah!    So  Zosia  Otocka  knows  everything." 
"She  does  and  does  not  know.    Miss  Anney  told  her 
only  this  much ;  '  He  did  not  forget  that  he  is  a  young  lord 
and  I  a  peasant  woman  and  we  ceased  to  understand  each 
other.'    For  her  it  was  yet  harder  to  speak  of  this  than  for 
you  and  that  difficulty  festers  all  the  more  the  wound 
which,  without  it,  is  deep  enough  —  But  I  cannot  find  the 
binocle." 

"Here  it  is,"  said  Ladislaus. 
Gronski  placed  it  on  his  nose  and  began  to  read : 
"You,  yourself,  sir,  rent  and  trampled  upon  our  joy, 
our  happiness,  my  trust,  and  that  deep  attachment  which 
I  had  for  you.    To  your  query  of  whether  I  can  ever  re- 
cover those  feelings,  I  answer  that  I  seek  for  them  in  vain. 
If  ever  I  recover  them  I  will  inform  you  with  the  same 
sincerity  with  which  I  to-day  say  that  I  have  in  my  heart 
only  grief  and  sadness  which  for  a  joint  life  will  not  suffice." 
"Only  so  much!"    said  Ladislaus. 
"My  foresight,"  answered  Gronski,  "is  verified  only  too 
perfectly.    The  spring  for  the  time  being  has  dried  up." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  365 

"To  the  bottom,  to  the  bottom,  not  a  drop  for  refresh- 
ment." 

Gronski  remained  silent  for  a  while;  after  which  he 
said: 

"I  think  otherwise,  nevertheless.  This  is  not  entirely 
hopeless.  There  remains  sadness,  grief  and,  as  it  were, 
the  anticipation  of  the  recurring  swell.  In  reality,  it  will 
not  flow  to-day  nor  to-morrow.  —  In  view  of  this,  for 
you  there  remains  either  to  persevere  patiently  and  win 
anew  that  which  you  lost,  or  else,  if  you  have  not  sufficient 
strength,  to  take  some  shears  and  sever  the  remaining 
threads." 

"Such  shears  I  will  not  find.  Do  you  remember,  sir, 
what  she  did  for  me  when  I  was  wounded?  I  will  not 
forget  that." 

At  this  Gronski  shaded  his  eyes  with  his  hand,  gazed  at 
Ladislaus  intently  and  asked: 

"My  dear  sir,  did  you  ever  propound  to  yourself  one 
question?" 

"What  one?" 

"What  pains  you  the  more,  —  the  loss  of  Miss  Anney  or 
your  wounded  self-love?" 

"I  thank  you,  sir,"  answered  Ladislaus,  with  irony. 
"In  reality,  only  self-love.  Through  it,  I  do  not  sleep, 
do  not  eat ;  through  it,  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  I  have 
grown  lean  like  a  shaving  and  were  it  not  for  this  living 
wound,  life  for  me  would  be  one  perpetual  round  of 
pleasure." 

And  he  began  to  laugh  bitterly,  while  Gronski  continued 
to  gaze  at  him,  not  removing  his  hand  from  his  ailing  eyes, 
and  thought: 

"That  girl  has  an  honest  heart,  and  let  her  only  see  him; 
then  she  will  forgive  everything  through  compassion  alone." 

After  which  he  said : 

"Listen,  after  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  I  will  put  on  those 


366  WHIRLPOOLS. 

dark  spectacles  and  go  to  the  rehearsal.  Come  with 
me." 

"How  will  that  help  me,  now?"   exclaimed  Ladislaus. 

"I  do  not  know.  I  do  not  even  guarantee  that  we  will 
meet  Miss  Anney,  for  Marynia  sometimes  goes  with  a 
servant.  But,  in  any  event,  you  will  not  lose  anything  by 
it;  so  come." 

But  further  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the  entrance 
of  the  doctor,  the  more  unexpected,  as  he  had  announced, 
upon  leaving  Warsaw,  that  he  would  stay  with  his  brother 
at  least  ten  days. 

"How  is  this?  You  have  already  returned  !"  exclaimed 
Gronski. 

"A  surprise,  hey?"  vociferated  the  doctor.  "Yes!  And 
for  me  it  was  a  surprise !  One  medical  visit,  afterwards 
a  fee  supplemented  with  the  amiable  advice,  'Get  out  of 
here,  while  you  are  whole!'  Lo,  here  I  am.  Oh,  what 
a  delightful  journey !" 

"How  did  this  happen?" 

"  How  did  it  happen  ?  I  will  tell  you  immediately.  But 
no  !  I  know  that  at  this  hour  you  leave  for  that  rehearsal : 
so  I  will  go  with  you,  gentlemen,  and  relate  it  to  you  on  the 
way.  That  is  such  an  amusing  thing  that  it  is  worth  while 
to  hear  it.     Ha  !" 

Accordingly  after  a  while  they  went  and  the  jovial  doctor 
began  to  recite  his  Odyssey. 

"  I  arrived,"  he  said,  "  a  little  fatigued,  for  that  is  a  distant 
journey,  and  besides  it  is  necessary  to  change  cars,  wait 
for  trains  at  the  stations,  and  so  forth  —  the  usual  order 
with  us.  I  reached  the  country-seat  late  and  after  greeting 
my  brother,  I  went  to  bed  at  once.  But  the  following  day 
I  had  barely  unpacked  the  primers  —  you  remember, 
gentlemen  ?  —  those  I  brought  with  me  for  the  petty  nobility 
—  and  I  had  barely  reproved  my  'provincial'  brother, 
when  an  emergency  call  came  summoning  me  to  a  high 


WHIRLPOOLS.  367 

official  who  has  an  estate  adjoining  our  seat  and  in  summer 
resides  with  his  family  in  the  country.  Ha !  there  was  no 
help  for  it  —  I  ride !  And  what  appears  ?  Why,  a  thimble 
stuck  in  a  child's  throat.  I  found  the  child  already  livid, 
but  the  moment  I  pulled  the  thimble  out,  the  infant  went 
away  playing  and  everything  was  in  the  best  order.  There 
was  nothing  else  to  do.  I  saved  a  future  dignitary  to  the 
empire,  and  to  the  parents  an  only  son,  as  the  other  chil- 
dren were  daughters.  So  the  gratitude  was  immense.  They 
pay  —  certainly !  I  wanted  to  ride  away  and  iterated  that 
there  is  nothing  more  to  do.  They  would  not  let  me  go. 
Gratitude,  breakfast,  cordiality,  friendship,  overflowing  of 
Slavonic  feelings,  and  a  chat  which  after  a  time  passed  into 
a  political  discussion.  'There  is  not,'  says  the  dignitary, 
'harmony  amidst  brothers.  And  what  a  pity!  Religion 
and  tongue  divide  their  languages.  But  what  is  religion, 
if  not  only  an  outward  form  ?  God  is  one.  It  is  the  same 
to  Him  whether  He  is  glorified  in  the  Latin  or  the  Slavonic 
language.  Why,  for  Slavonians  it  is  more  seemly  if  in  the 
Slavonic.  And  as  to  the  tongue,  then  the  various  dialects 
could  be  limited  to  conversations  at  home.  Why,  however, 
should  not  one  language  be  adopted,  not  only  officially, 
but  in  literature  ?  The  convenience  would  be  greater,  the 
control  easier.  Then  you  would  abandon  your  Catholicism 
and  your  dialects  and  accept  ours  —  the  one  and  the 
other,  —  but  heartily  and  voluntarily.  And  harmony 
would  immediately  follow.  The  times  for  you  would  be 
better.    There  would  be  downright  delight.' — " 

"He  mistook  his  man,"  interrupted  Gronski,  laughing. 

"And  that  he  should  chance  upon  me,"  replied  the  doctor. 
"I,  gentlemen,  am  a  deist,  a  philosopher,  but  a  passable 
Catholic.  Often  it  happens  that  I  assail  the  church  just 
as  I  assail  Poland  whenever  anything  occurs  which  dis- 
pleases me.  Only  if  some  stranger  does  the  same  thing  in 
my  presence  then  —  a  strange  thing !  —  I  have  a  desire  to 


368  WHIRLPOOLS. 

knock  out  his  teeth.  Therefore  I  began  to  defend  the 
Church  as  if  I  never  in  my  Hfe  crawled  out  of  a  sacristy ; 
bah,  even  better,  in  a  way  as  if  I  was  a  CathoUc  apologist. 
'If,'  I  said,  'religion  is  only  an  external  form  tell  me  just 
why  should  we  abandon  this  form  of  ours,  which  is  the 
most  spiritualized,  the  most  cultural,  and  the  most  beautiful. 
That  Catholicism,  with  which  you  advise  us  to  take  our 
leave,  has  encompassed  the  entire  West,  organized  society, 
produced  European  civilization,  preserved  learning,  has 
founded  universities,  reared  churches,  which  are  master- 
pieces, gave  us  Saint  Augustine,  Dante,  Petrarch,  Saint 
Francis,  and  Saint  Thomas,  created  the  Renaissance, 
created  Leonardo  da  Vinci's;  "Lord's  Supper,"  Michel- 
angelo's "Tombs  of  the  Medici,"  Raphael's  "School  of 
Athens"  and  "Disputa,"  erected  such  temples  as  Saint 
Peter's,  not  counting  others  scattered  throughout  Italy  and 
all  over  Europe.  That  Catholicism  made  us  partakers  of 
the  universal  culture,  united  us  with  the  West,  imprinted 
a  European  stamp  upon  our  Polish  soul,  etc.,  etc'  And 
I  talked  in  this  strain  until  he  interrupted  me  and  said. 
'In  this  is  the  misfortune,  that  it  has  united  you  with  the 
West.'  And  I  replied  to  that,  'A  misfortune  to  whom, 
and  to  whom  not  a  misfortune  ?  But  now  we  will  speak  of 
your  proposition  of  renouncing  the  tongue  and  therefore 
the  nationality.  Know,  sir,  that  this  is  an  empty  and 
foolish  dream.  That  never  will  take  place.  I  proclaim 
and  insist  in  advance  —  never !  But  assuming  for  a 
moment  an  impossible  thing,  that  a  pestilence  will  so 
blight  us,  that  our  hearts  will  be  so  debilitated  that  we 
will  say  to  ourselves  "Enough!  —  we  can  no  longer  be 
Poles!"  then  what?  Reflect,  sir,  objectively,  like  a  man 
who  has  not  lost  the  ability  to  think,  what  could  restrain 
us  from  becoming  Germans?  Our  Slavonic  extraction? 
But  we  are  Slavonians,  just  because  we  are  Poles.  You 
are  a  people  who  do  not  know  how  to  live  and  do  not  permit 


WHIRLPOOLS.  369 

anybody  else  to  live.  So  what  motive  would  keep  us  with 
you?  Is  it  your  peace?  Your  welfare?  Your  morality? 
Your  administration?  Your  science?  Your  learning? 
Your  wealth  ?  Your  power  ?  Learn  to  look  in  the  eyes  of 
reality;  cultivate  in  yourselves  the  ability  to  reckon  with 
it,  and  you  will  understand  that  by  denationalizing  us  you 
labor  for  some  one  else.  But  I  reiterate  yet  once  more 
that  this  is  only  a  foolish  dream;  that  the  moment  of  re- 
nunciation will  never  come  and  if  I  spoke  of  it,  it  was  only 
to  answer  those  things  which  you  suggested.' 

"With  this  our  conversation  ended.  They,  in  a  yet 
higher  degree  than  we,  cannot  endure  unpleasant  truths, 
so  my  dignitary  changed  into  a  decanter  of  iced  water,  and 
on  the  leave-taking  merely  said  to  me:  'Well,  you  are  too 
candid,  young  man,  but  I  thank  you  for  the  child.'  A  half 
an  hour  later  I  was  at  home." 

"I  can  surmise  what  happened  afterwards,"  said  Gronski. 

"Yes.  As  the  thimble  was  removed,  that  same  night  I 
received  an  order  to  leave  the  next  day  by  the  first  train." 

"Be  satisfied  that  it  ended  with  that." 

"I  am  satisfied.  I  will  stay  a  few  days  in  Warsaw;  I 
will  see  the  notary ;  I  will  attend  Panna  Zbyltowska's  con- 
cert.    Certainly!     Certainly!" 

Here  he  addressed  Ladislaus. 

"How  is  your  mother  and  your  fiancee?" 

"Thank  you.  Mother  is  not  badly,  but  will  soon  have 
to  leave." 

And  desiring  to  hide  his  confusion,  he  began  to  gaze 
intently  into  the  depths  of  the  street,  and  after  a  while 
exclaimed : 

"But  look!  I  see  Panna  Marynia  with  a  maid-servant, 
and  with  them  some  third  person  is  walking." 

In  reality  about  a  hundred  paces  down  the  street  Ma- 
rynia could  be  seen  approaching,  accompanied  by  a  maid- 
servant, with  the  violin  in  a  case.    On  the  other  side,  though 

24 


370  WHIRLPOOLS. 

somewhat  behind,  walked  a  young  man  with  a  yellowish 
beard,  who,  leaning  towards  Marynia,  appeared  to  speak 
to  her  in  an  earnest  and  vehement  manner.  She  hast- 
ened her  steps,  turning  her  head  aside,  evidently  not 
desiring  to  listen  to  him,  while  he,  keeping  pace  with  her, 
gesticulated  violently. 

"  My  God  !    Some  one  is  molesting  her ! "  said  the  doctor. 

And  all  three  rushed  at  full  speed  towards  her, 

"  Who  is  that  ?    Who  are  you,  sir  ?  " 

And  Marynia,  seeing  Gronski,  seized  his  arm  and 
trembling  all  over,  began  to  cry : 

"Home!    Take  me  home,  sir!" 

Gronski  understood  in  a  moment  that  nothing  else  could 
be  done  and  that  it  was  necessary  to  hurry,  as  otherwise 
Marynia  might  be  embroiled  in  a  vulgar  street  row.  He 
was  certain  that  Ladislaus  in  whom  was  accumulated  an 
enormous  supply  of  spleen  and  irritation,  with  his  impul- 
sive nature,  would  not  permit  the  offence  of  the  assailant 
to  pass  unpunished.  So  taking  the  girl  aside,  he  placed 
her  as  soon  as  possible  in  a  hackney-coach,  which  was 
passing  by  and  ordered  the  coachman  to  drive  to  Pani 
Otocka's  house. 

"There  is  nothing  now.  Everything  is  all  right,"  he  said 
on  the  way,  to  pacify  the  affrighted  Marynia.  "  From  home 
we  will  send  a  message  that  there  will  be  no  rehearsal 
to-day,  and  with  that  it  will  end.    It  is  nothing,  nothing." 

And  he  began  to  press  her  hand ;  after  a  while,  he  asked : 

"But  who  was  that  and  what  did  he  want?" 

"Pan  Laskowicz,"  answered  Marynia.  "I  did  not  recog- 
nize him  at  first,  but  he  told  me  who  he  was." 

Gronski  became  distressed  when  he  heard  the  name  of 
the  student,  for  it  occurred  to  him  that  if  the  encounter 
with  Ladislaus  ended  with  the  police,  then  the  consequences 
for  Laskowicz  might  prove  fatal  directly.  But  not  desiring 
to  betray  his  uneasiness  before  Marynia,  and  at  the  same 


WHIRLPOOLS.  371 

time  wishing  to  better  quiet  her,  he  spoke  to  her  half 
jokingly: 

"So  that  was  Laskowicz?  Then  I  already  know  what 
he  wanted.  Ah  !  Ah  !  —  Some  one  begins  to  play  not  only 
on  the  violin  but  on  the  soul.  —  Only  why  did  you  allow 
yourself  to  be  so  frightened?" 

"For  he  also  threatened,"  answered  Marynia.  "He 
threatened  all  terribly  —  " 

"Such  bugbears  only  children  fear." 

"True !  Especially  as  I  am  to  play  for  the  hungry;  they 
will  not  do  any  wrong  to  me  or  any  of  us." 

"Assuredly  not,"  confirmed  Gronski. 

Conversing  thus,  they  reached  home.  Gronski  surren- 
dered Marynja  to  Pani  Otocka's  care  and  when,  after  a 
moment,  Hanka  appeared,  he  related  to  them  everything 
which  had  occurred.  He  likewise  had  to  quiet  Pani  Otocka, 
who,  knowing  of  the  letters,  took  the  whole  occurrence  very 
much  to  heart  and  announced  that  immediately  after  the 
concert  they  would  leave  for  Zalesin,  and  afterwards  go 
abroad.  After  the  lapse  of  a  half  hour  he  left  and  on  the 
stairs  met  Ladislaus. 

"God  be  praised,"  he  said,  "I  see  that  it  did  not 
end  with  the  police.  Do  you  know  that  the  man  was 
Laskowicz?" 

"And  it  seemed  so  to  me,"  said  Ladislaus  with  anima- 
tion; "but  this  one  had  light  hair.    How  is  Marynia?" 

"She  was  frightened  a  little  but  now  is  well.  Both 
ladies  are  at  her  side  and  dandle  her  like  a  little  chicken. 
They  are  so  occupied  with  her  that  Pani  Otocka  certainly 
will  not  receive  you." 

"And  I  thought  so;  especially,  if  she  is  there,"  answered 
Ladislaus,  with  bitterness;  "so  I  will  only  leave  my  card 
and  will  return  at  once.  Do  you  care  to  wait  for 
me?" 

"Very  well." 


372  WHIRLPOOLS. 

Accordingly,  he  returned  after  a  while,  and  when  they 
were  on  the  street,  he  began  to  say: 

"Yes !  and  to  me  it  seemed  that  he  was  Laskowicz  but 
I  was  puzzled  by  the  light  tuft  of  hair  on  his  head  and  the 
spectacles.    After  all  there  was  no  time  for  thinking." 

"Listen  —  you  undoubtedly  cudgelled  him?"  asked 
Gronski. 

And  Ladislaus  answered  reluctantly: 

"Far  too  much,  for  he  is  an  emaciated  creature,  and  he 
evidently  did  not  have  a  revolver." 

For  some  time  they  walked  in  silence;  after  which 
Gronski  said: 

"Your  mother  needs  a  cure;  the  ladies  will  depart 
from  here  immediately  after  the  concert  and  Miss  Anney 
undoubtedly  with  them.  I  would  advise  you  also  to  think 
about  yourself." 

Ladislaus  waved  his  hand. 

At  the  same  time  in  a  garret  in  the  quarters  of  the  "fe- 
male associate,"  Laskowicz  said  to  Pauly: 

"Pan  Krzycki  is  a  true  gentleman.  He  battered  me  a 
while  ago  because  I  dared  to  approach  her." 

And  he  began  to  laugh  through  his  set  teeth. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  373 


XIV 

The  day  of  the  concert  arrived.  On  the  sofa  in  the 
sisters'  dressing-room  lay,  ready  at  an  early  hour, 
Marynia's  evening  dress,  white  as  snow,  light  as  foam, 
transparent  as  the  mist,  and  fragrant  with  violets  which 
were  to  form  her  sole  adornment.  Previously,  Pani 
Otocka  and  Gronski  held  a  long  and  grave  consultation 
over  that  dress,  for  both  craved  warmly  that  their  beloved 
"divinity"  should  captivate  not  only  the  ears  but  the  eyes. 
In  the  meanwhile  the  "divinity"  bustled  about  all  the 
rooms,  now  seizing  the  violin  and  repeating  the  more 
difficult  passages,  now  taking  the  boxes  of  bon-bons  which 
Gronski  had  sent  to  her;  then  joking  with  her  sister  and 
predicting  fright  at  her  first  public  appearance.  This 
fright  also  possessed  Pani  Otocka  who  consoled  herself 
only  with  the  thought  that  Marynia  indeed  would  tremble 
upon  entering  on  the  stage,  but  from  the  moment  she  began 
to  play  would  forget  everything.  She  knew  also  that  a 
warm  ovation  awaited  the  beloved  violinist,  likewise 
numerous  baskets  of  flowers,  from  the  "Committee  for 
aiding  the  hungry,"  and  from  acquaintances.  Notwith- 
standing their  uneasiness  both  sisters  felt  a  great  joy  in  their 
souls,  as  the  concert,  owing  to  the  arrivals  during  the  racing 
season,  promised  to  be  highly  successful,  and  it  was  already 
known  that  the  receipts  would  be  extraordinary.  Marynia 
besides  found  a  cure  for  her  fright:  "When  I  think,"  she 
said  to  her  sister,  "that  so  many  eyes  will  gaze  at  me,  my 
heart  is  in  my  mouth,  but  when  I  recollect  that  I  am  not 


374  WHIRLPOOLS. 

concerned  but  only  the  poor,  then  I  cease  to  fear.  So  I 
will  save  myself  in  this  manner:  entering  upon  the  stage, 
I  will  repeat  quietly,  "T  is  for  the  poor !  '  t  is  for  the  poor ! ' 
and  everything  will  come  off  in  the  best  possible  way!" 
And  when  she  spoke,  her  voice  quivered  with  honest 
emotion  as  her  young  heart  felt  deeply  the  woes  of  the 
unfortunate  who  did  not  have  any  bread,  and  at  the  same 
time  she  felt  proud  and  happy  at  the  thought  that  she 
would  be  instrumental  in  their  relief.  She  even  experienced 
certain  pangs  of  conscience  on  account  of  the  new  dress 
and  the  new  satin  shoes,  as  it  occurred  to  her  that  this 
outlay  might  have  been  expended  for  bread. 

About  noon  Hanka  came  and  took  both  sisters  to  her 
apartments  for  breakfast.  Gronski,  who  was  invited,  did 
not  appear,  as  at  that  time  he  was  to  meet  a  few  journalists. 
Marynia  took  her  violin  with  her  with  the  intention  of 
playing  after  the  breakfast  the  first  part  of  the  programme, 
and  in  the  meanwhile,  waiting  before  they  were  seated  at 
table,  she  began  to  look  out  from  Hanka's  salon  through 
the  open  window  on  the  street. 

The  day  was  fair  and  clear.  During  the  night  an  abun- 
dant rain  had  fallen  which  settled  the  dust,  washed  the  city's 
stone  pavements,  refreshed  the  grass  plots,  and  laved  the 
leaves  on  the  trees.  The  air  became  fresh  and  bracing. 
From  the  two  acacias,  growing  under  the  windows  of 
Hanka's  residence,  which  strewed  the  walk  near  them  with 
petals  white  as  snow,  came  a  sweet  scent,  strong  and  intoxi- 
cating as  if  from  a  censer.  Marynia  partly  closed  her  eyes 
and,  moving  her  delicate  nostrils,  sated  herself  with  the 
perfume  with  delight,  after  which  she  turned  to  the  depth 
of  the  room. 

"It  smells  so  sweet,"  she  said. 

"It  does,  little  kitten,"  answered  Hanka,  interrupting  a 
conversation  with  Pani  Otocka.  "I  purposely  ordered  the 
window  to  be  opened." 


WHIRLPOOLS.  375 

And  the  acacias  not  only  smelt  sweet  but  seemed  to 
sing,  for  both  were  cumbered  by  a  countless  diet  of  spar- 
rows so  that  the  leaves  and  flowers  quivered  from  their 
chirping. 

The  maiden  watched  for  some  time  with  delighted  eyes 
the  small,  nimble  birds;  after  which  her  attention  was 
directed  to  something  entirely  different.  On  the  walk 
before  the  house,  in  the  middle  of  the  street  and  on  the 
sidewalk  on  the  opposite  side,  there  began  to  gather  and 
stand  clusters  of  people  who,  raising  their  heads,  gazed 
intently  at  the  windows  of  Hanka's  residence. 

Some  wretchedly  dressed  people  spoke  with  the  door- 
keeper standing  at  the  gate,  evidently  questioning  him 
about  something.  The  clusters  each  moment  became 
more  numerous  and,  together  with  the  passers-by,  who 
remained  out  of  curiosity,  changed  into  a  mob  of  sev- 
eral hundred  heads.  Marynia  jumped  back  from  the 
window. 

"Look,"  she  cried,  "what  is  taking  place  on  the  street. 
Oh  !  oh  !  Perhaps  they  are  the  poor  coming  to  thank  me 
in  advance?  What  shall  I  do  if  they  come  here?  what 
shall  I  answer?    I  am  not  able.  —  Come,  see!" 

And  saying  this,  she  drew  her  sister  and  Hanka  to  the 
window.  The  three  young  heads  leaned  out  of  the  window 
on  to  the  street,  but  in  that  moment  an  incomprehensible 
thing  happened.  A  ragged  stripling  pulled  out  of  his 
pocket  a  stone  and  hurled  it  with  all  his  strengh  into  the 
open  window.  The  stone  flew  over  Pani  Otocka's  head, 
rebounded  on  the  opposite  wall,  and  fell  with  noise  upon  the 
floor.  Hanka,  Marynia,  and  Zosia  drew  back  from  the 
window  and  began  to  look  at  each  other  with  inquiring 
and  startled  eyes. 

In  the  meantime  on  the  street  resounded  savage  out- 
cries; the  rabble  battered  down  the  gate;  on  the  stairs 
sounded  the  stamping  of  feet,  after  which  in  the  twinkling 


376  WHIRLPOOLS. 

of  an  eye  the  doors  leading  to  the  room  burst  open  with  a 
crash,  and  a  mob,  composed  of  Christians  and  some  Jews, 
filled  the  residence. 

"Away  with  the  kept  mistress !  Strike !  tear  I  smash !" 
howled  hoarse  voices. 

"For  the  mercy  of  God!  People,  what  do  you  want 
here?"  cried  Hanka. 

"Away  with  the  kept  mistress  1  away  with  the  kept 
mistress  !   through  the  window  I  on  to  the  street !" 

In  a  moment  a  young  man-servant,  who  rushed  to 
the  assistance  of  the  ladies,  was  thrown  upon  the  ground 
and  trampled  upon.  Amidst  the  dreadful  commotion, 
which  the  mob  increased  more  and  more,  the  human  beasts 
became  unfettered.  Women  with  disheveled  hair,  filthy 
striplings  with  the  marks  of  crime  upon  their  degenerate 
features,  and  all  manner  of  ragamuffins  with  drunken 
faces,  rushed  at  the  furniture,  divans,  bed  curtains,  and 
everything  which  fell  into  their  hands.  In  the  residence 
an  orgy  of  destruction  prevailed.  The  rooms  were  filled 
with  the  stench  of  sweat  and  whiskey.  The  mob  became 
infuriated ;  it  broke,  smashed,  stole.  On  the  street,  under 
the  windows  piles  of  splintered  furniture  were  formed. 
They  threw  out  even  the  piano.  Finally  some  ruffian,  with 
a  pock-marked  visage,  seized  Marynia's  violin  and  brand- 
ished it,  desiring  to  shatter  it  on  the  wall. 

But  she  jumped  to  its  aid  and  seized  his  fist  with  both 
hands. 

"That  is  mine!  that  is  mine!  —  I  am  to  play  for  the 
poor  —  " 

"Let  go!" 

"I  will  not  let  go  I  —  that  is  mine !" 

"Let  go,  carrion  I" 

"That  is  mine!" 

A  shot  was  fired,  and,  simultaneously,  Pani  Otocka's 
scream  pierced  the  air.    Marynia  stood  for  a  moment  with 


WHIRLPOOLS.  377 

upraised  hands  and  head  inclined  backwards ;  afterwards 
she  reeled  and  fell  back  into  Hanka's  arms. 

The  shot  and  the  murder  overawed  the  crowd.  The  mob 
became  silent,  and  after  a  moment  began  to  scamper  away, 
panic-stricken. 


378  WHIRLPOOLS. 


XV 

Pani  Krzycki,  Zosia,  and  Hanka,  and  with  them  Gronski, 
Ladislaus,  and  Dr.  Szremski  surrounded  the  bed  on  which 
Marynia  lay,  after  the  operation  and  the  extraction  of  the 
bullet.  A  second  surgeon  and  his  assistant  sat  aloof, 
awaiting  the  awakening  of  the  patient.  In  the  room,  filled 
with  the  odor  of  iodoform,  a  profound  stillness  prevailed. 
Marynia  had  previously  awoke  immediately  after  the  opera- 
tion was  performed,  but  stupefied  still  by  the  chloroform 
and  weakened  by  the  loss  of  blood,  she  soon  sank  again 
into  a  slumber.  Her  beautiful  head  lay  motionless  upon 
the  pillow,  her  eyes  were  closed,  and  her  countenance  was 
waxen  and  transparent,  as  if  she  were  already  dead.  In 
Pani  Otocka  and  in  Gronski,  who  but  now  sounded  within 
himself  the  immensity  of  his  affection  for  that  child,  de- 
spair whimpered  with  that  quiet,  terrible  whimper,  which 
lacerates,  tugs  and  rends  the  bosom  but  fears  to  emerge  on 
the  surface.  Both  glanced  time  and  again  with  alarm  at 
Dr.  Szremski  who  from  time  to  time  examined  Marynia's 
pulse,  but  evidently  he  himself  was  uncertain  whether  that 
sleep  would  be  final :  he  only  nodded  his  head  and  placed 
his  finger  to  his  lips  in  sign  of  silence. 

Nevertheless,  their  fears  for  the  time  being  were  vain,  as 
after  the  lapse  of  an  hour  Marynia's  eyebrows  commenced 
to  rise,  quiver,  and  after  a  moment  she  opened  her  eyes. 
Her  look,  at  the  beginning,  was  dull  and  unconscious. 
Slowly,  however,  the  stupefaction  left  her  and  conscious- 
ness of  what  had  occurred  as  well  as  of  the  present  moment 
returned.      On  her  countenance  appeared  an  expression 


WHIRLPOOLS.  379 

of  amazement  and  affliction,  such  as  a  child  feels  who  has 
been  punished  cruelly  and  unjustly.  Finally  her  pupils 
darkened  and  two  tears  coursed  down  her  cheeks. 

"For  what?  —  for  what?"  she  whispered  with  her 
pallid  lips. 

Pani  Otocka  sat  at  her  side  and  placed  her  palm  on  her 
hand.  Gronski  was  seized  with  a  desire  to  throw  himself 
on  the  ground  and  beat  his  head  on  the  floor,  while  the 
patient  asked  further  in  an  amazed  and  mournful  whisper : 

"  For  what  ?  — for  what  ?  " 

God  alone  could  answer  that  question.  But  in  the 
meantime  the  doctor  approached  and  said : 

"Do  not  speak,  child,  for  that  harms." 

So  she  became  silent,  but  the  expression  of  affliction  did 
not  disappear  from  her  countenance,  and  tears  continued 
to  flow. 

Her  sister  began  to  wipe  them  off;  repeating  in  a  sub- 
dued voice: 

"Marynia,  Marynia,  calm  yourself  —  you  will  be  well  — 
you  are  not  dangerously  wounded  — ■  no,  no  —  the  doctor 
guarantees  that  —  " 

Marynia  raised  her  eyes  at  her  as  if  she  desired  to  divine 
whether  she  was  telling  the  truth.  It  appeared,  however, 
that  she  listened  to  her  sister's  words  with  a  certain  hope. 

After  which,  she  said: 

"It  is  sultry.—" 

The  doctor  opened  the  window  of  the  room.  Out  in 
the  open  air  the  night  was  fair  and  starry.  Waves  of 
fresh  air  brought  the  scent  of  the  acacias. 

The  patient  lay  for  some  time  calm,  but  suddenly  she 
began  again  to  seek  somebody  with  her  eyes  and  asked : 

"Is  Pan  Gronski  here?" 

"I  am,  dear,  I  am  —  " 

"You,  sir  —  will  not  —  let  me  ?  —  Truly  —  " 

To  Gronski  it  seemed  at  that  moment  that  he  was 


380  WHIRLPOOLS. 

enveloped  by  a  deep  night  and  that  amidst  that  impenetra- 
ble darkness  he  answered  in  a  strange  voice : 

"No,  no!" 

And  she  spoke  with  terror,  her  countenance  growing 
more  and  more  pallid: 

"I  do  not  want  to  die  —  I  am  afraid  —  " 

And  again  tears  began  to  trickle  from  her  eyes  —  tears 
inconsolable,  tears  of  a  wronged  child. 

The  entrance  of  a  priest  relieved  the  harrowing  moment. 
It  was  the  same  old  prelate,  a  relative  of  the  Krzyckis  and 
the  Zbyltowskis,  who  previously  shrived  Pani  Krzycki. 
Drawing  nearer,  he  sat  beside  Marynia's  bed  and  bending 
over  her  with  a  cheering  smile,  full  of  hope,  said : 

"How  are  you,  dear  child?  Ah,  the  wretches!  —  But 
God  is  more  powerful  than  they  and  everything  will  end 
well.  I  only  came  to  ask  about  your  health.  God  be 
praised  the  bullet  is  already  extracted.  —  Now  only  patience 
is  necessary  and  you  will  be  patient  —  will  you  not  ? " 

Marynia  winked  her  eyes  as  a  token  of  acquiescence. 

The  amiable  old  man  continued  in  a  more  genial  and  as 
if  jubilant  voice: 

"  Ah  !  I  knew  that  you  would.  Now  I  will  tell  you  that 
there  is  something  which  often  is  more  efficacious  than  all 
the  medicines  and  bandages.  Do  you  know  what  it  is? 
The  Sacrament  1  Ho !  how  often  in  life  have  I  seen  that 
people,  who  were  separated  from  death  by  a  hair,  became 
at  once  better  after  confession,  communion,  and  anoint- 
ment, and  after  that  recovered  their  health  entirely.  You, 
my  dove,  are  surely  far  from  death,  but  since  it  is  a  Chris- 
tian duty,  which  helps  the  soul  and  body,  it  is  necessary  to 
perform  it.     Well,  child?" 

Marynia  again  winked  her  eyes  in  sign  of  assent. 

Those  present  retired  from  the  room  and  returned  only 
upon  the  sound  of  the  little  bell  to  be  witnesses  to  the  Com- 
munion.   The  patient,  after  receiving  it,  lay  for  some  time 


WHIRLPOOLS.  381 

with  closed  eyelids  and  a  quiet  brightness  in  her  counte- 
nance, after  which  the  moment  of  extreme  unction  arrived. 

In  the  room  assembled,  besides  those  previoiisly  present, 
the  servants  of  the  house;  suppressing  their  sobs,  they 
heard  the  customary  prayers  before  the  rite. 

"  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  who  hast  said  through  Thy  apostle 
Saint  James,  '  Is  any  man  sick  among  you  ?  Let  him  bring 
in  the  priests  of  the  Church  and  let  them  pray  over  him, 
anointing  him  with  oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.'  We 
implore  Thee,  Lord  God,  our  Redeemer,  for  the  grace  of 
The  Holy  Ghost:  have  mercy  upon  this  sick  one,  heal 
her  wounds,  pardon  her  sins,  and  banish  from  her  all  pains 
of  soul  and  body  and  in  Thy  mercy  return  health  completely 
to  her,  in  order  that,  restored  to  life,  she  may  again  give 
herself  up  to  good  deeds.  Oh  Thou,  who  being  God, 
livest  and  reignest  with  the  Father  and  Holy  Ghost,  now 
and  forever.     Amen." 

The  priest  appeared  to  hurry.  Quickly  he  took  the 
vessel  standing  between  two  candles  under  the  crucifix 
and  approaching  the  patient  he  whispered  the  second, 
brief  prayer  required  by  the  ritual,  and  at  the  same  time 
began  to  administer  extreme  unction.  He  first  touched 
the  girl's  eyelids,  saying,  "Through  this  holy  unction  and 
His  own  most  tender  mercy,  may  the  Lord  pardon  thee 
whatever  sins  or  faults  thou  hast  committed  by  sight"; 
after  that  he  anointed  her  ears  to  purge  the  sins  which  she 
might  have  committed  through  the  sense  of  hearing;  after 
that  the  lips;  after  that  the  hands,  resembling  two  white 
lilies,  which  that  day  were  to  have  played  for  the  poor; 
and  finally  he  blessed  her  whole  body  from  head  to  feet 
—  already  purified  of  all  blemish  and  already  as  truly 
angelic  and  immaculate  as  a  lily  in  the  field. 

A  half  hour  passed.  To  those  present  it  seemed  that 
the  patient  again  succumbed  to  slumber.  But  unex- 
pectedly she  opened  her  eyes  wide,  and  cried  in  a  stronger, 
as  if  joyful,  voice : 


382  WHIRLPOOLS. 

"How  much  bread !  —  How  much  bread  1  —  " 
And  she  expired  calmly. 

During  the  depth  of  the  night,  a  young  man  came  to  the 
gate  and  asked  the  doorkeeper  whether  the  little  lady  was 
still  alive  and,  hearing  that  she  had  died,  he  left  in  silence. 

An  hour  later  in  the  garret  of  one  of  the  houses  near  the 
Vistula  a  shot  from  a  revolver  was  fired,  and,  filled  with 
consternation,  the  inmates  suddenly  awakened  from  their 
sleep.  The  people  in  the  neighboring  rooms  flocked  to  the 
place  of  the  accident.  The  locked  doors  of  the  room  were 
battered  down  but  all  aid  was  futile.  On  the  bed  lay  the 
dead  body  of  the  student  with  his  breast  perforated  by  a 
shot. 

The  gloomy,  tragic  soul  had  already  flown  into  darkness. 


WHIRLPOOLS.  383 


XVI 

The  room  in  which  Marynia  died  was  changed  into  a 
funeral  chamber.  The  coflBn  stood  in  the  middle,  high, 
amidst  burning  candles  and  a  whole  forest  of  plants  and 
flowers,  of  which  such  a  number  were  amassed  that  they 
filled  not  only  the  chamber  but  even  the  anteroom  and  the 
stairway.  The  coffin  was  still  open  and  in  the  brightness 
of  the  day,  blended  with  the  light  of  the  wax-candles, 
Marynia  could  be  seen  dressed  in  that  same  dress  in  which 
she  was  to  have  appeared  at  the  concert.  The  little  metal 
cross  which  she  held  in  her  folded  hands  glittered  like  a 
sparkling  spot  on  a  dark  background  of  plants.  Her  face 
was  pensive,  but  without  the  slightest  trace  of  suffering,  — 
and  at  the  same  time  as  if  she  was  absorbed  in  listening  to 
voices,  sounds,  and  tones,  which  were  inaudible  and  in- 
comprehensible to  mortals. 

Though  the  open  windows  there  blew  in  from  time  to 
time  a  breeze,  extinguishing  here  and  there  the  unsteady 
flames  of  the  candles  and  causing  the  leaves  of  the  plants 
to  rustle.  On  the  acacias  in  front  of  the  house  the  sparrows 
chirped  boisterously;  one  would  think  that  they  were 
relating  to  each  other  feverishly  what  had  happened ;  while 
at  the  side  of  the  catafalque  a  human  stream  flowed. 
There  came  with  wreaths,  workingmen,  for  whose  benefit 
the  concert  was  to  have  been  given,  and  at  the  sight  of  the 
barbarously  slain  little  lady,  they  left  with  fire  in  their  eyes 
and  clenched  fists.  The  intelligence  of  the  monstrous 
and  reckless  crime  attracted  whole  throngs  of  students, 
who  determined  to  carry  the  coffin  on  their  shoulders.  In 
the  meantime  they  moved  slowly  and  quietly  about  the 


384  WHIRLPOOLS. 

catafalque,  gazing  with  bosoms  swelling  with  sympathy 
and  grief  at  the  silvery  profile  of  the  girl,  turned  towards 
heaven,  and  unconsciously  they  recalled  the  words  of  the 
poet: 

' '  And  now  in  pale  satin  enshrouded, 
In  silence,  hands  folded,  she  lies." 

Horror,  indignation,  and  at  the  same  time  curiosity  aroused 
the  city  from  centre  to  circumference.  Even  the  streets  in 
front  of  the  house  were  thronged  by  great  crowds  —  un- 
easy, being  unable  to  explain  to  themselves  how  such  a 
thing  happened  —  and,  as  if,  alarmed  by  the  thought  of 
what  the  future  might  bring  forth,  what  other  crimes 
might  be  committed  and  what  other  victims  the  uncertain 
morrow  might  devour. 

The  remains  of  Marynia  were  to  be  conveyed  to  the 
railway  and  from  there  to  Zalesin  where  the  tombs  of  the 
Otockis  were  located.  Immediately  after  noon  the  coffin 
was  taken  off  the  stretchers  and  then,  before  its  sealing, 
came  for  Pani  Otocka  and  for  Gronski  the  dreadful  mo- 
ment of  viewing  for  the  last  time  in  life  that  beloved  being 
who  was  for  them  a  light  and  sun.  If  she  had  died  of  some 
sickness  their  despair  might  not  have  been  less,  but  it  would 
have  been  more  intelligible  to  them.  But  she  was  mur- 
dered !  They  murdered  this  sweet  and  innocent  child, 
just  at  a  time  when  she  wanted  to  aid  people  and  when  she 
rejoiced  at  the  thought  of  that  aid.  Murdered  was  that 
incarnate  song,  that  fragrant  flower,  sent  by  God  for  the 
joy  of  mankind  I  And  in  just  this  there  was  something 
which  could  not  be  confined  within  the  limits  of  despair, 
but  reached  into  the  borders  of  madness.  For  lo,  this  is 
the  last  moment  for  beholding  that  love,  that  youth,  that 
maidenly  charm,  that  white  victim  of  crime  and  mistake ; 
and  after  that  nothingness,  darkness,  —  solitude. 

But  overstrained  pain  kills  itself  like  a  scorpion,  it  covers 


WHIRLPOOLS.  385 

the  intellect  with  darkness,  and  commands  the  blood  to 
congeal  in  the  veins.  That  happened  with  the  sister  of 
the  slain.  For  a  long  time  Dr.  Szremski  was  uncertain 
whether  he  would  be  able  to  restore  her  to  life.  In  the 
consternation  and  confusion  it  was  hardly  observed  that 
into  the  chamber  there  rushed  an  insane  woman  and, 
whining  mournfully,  she  flung  herself  upon  the  ground. 
Swidwicki  led  her  away  with  the  aid  of  the  students  and 
intrusted  her  to  their  care. 

In  the  meantime  the  coffin  was  sealed ;  the  youths  placed 
it  on  their  shoulders  and  the  funeral  party  moved  towards 
the  railway.  After  them  marched  a  long  procession,  at 
the  end  of  which  empty  carriages  jogged  along.  The  ever- 
increasing  swarm  flowed  along  the  middle  of  the  streets  and 
sidewalks ;  and  not  until  they  reached  the  bridge  did  those 
who  joined  the  procession  only  through  curiosity  begin  to 
return  home. 

Swidwicki  approached  Dr.  Szremski,  and  for  some  time 
both  walked  in  silence,  not  perceiving  that  they  were  re- 
maining more  and  more  behind  the  procession. 

"You  knew  the  deceased?"    asked  the  doctor. 

"Otocki  was  my  relative." 

"Ah,  what  a  horrible  mistake  it  was?" 

But  Swidwicki  blurted  out: 

"That  was  no  mistake.  That  is  the  logical  result  of  the 
times,  and  in  those  that  are  coming  such  accidents  will 
become  a  customary,  every-day  occurrence." 

"How  do  you  understand  that?" 

"The  way  it  should  be  understood.  That  coffin  has 
greater  meaning  than  it  seems.  That  is  an  announcement ! 
A  mistake  ?  No  !  That  was  only  an  incident.  Lo,  to-day 
we  are  burying  a  harp,  which  wanted  to  play  for  the  people, 
but  which  the  rabble  trampled  upon  with  their  filthy  feet. 
—  Wait,  sir !  Let  things  continue  to  proceed  thus,  and 
who  knows  whether,  after  ten  or  twenty  years,  we  will  not 

25 


386  WHIRLPOOLS. 

thus  bury  learning,  art,  culture,  bahl  even  the  entire 
civilization.  And  that  not  only  here  but  everywhere. 
There  will  be  an  endless  series  of  such  events.  —  To  me, 
after  all,  it  is  all  one,  but  absolutely  it  is  possible." 

The  doctor  ruminated  for  some  time  in  silence  over 
Swidwicki's  words ;  finally  he  exclaimed : 

"Ah,  knowledge,  knowledge,  knowledge." 

Swidwicki  stood  still,  seized  the  doctor  by  the  flap  of 
his  coat  and  shaking  his  goat-like  beard,  said: 

"Hear,  sir,  an  atheist,  or  at  least,  a  man  who  has  nothing 
to  do  with  any  religion :  knowledge  without  religion  breeds 
only  thieves  and  bandits." 

The  procession  paused  for  a  while  on  account  of  an 
obstruction  on  the  road;  so  conversing,  they  drew  nearer 
to  the  coflBn;  nevertheless,  Swidwicki,  though  lowering  his 
voice,  did  not  cease  to  talk : 

"Ay,  sir  —  a  great  many  people  think  the  same  as  I 
do ;  only  they  have  not  the  courage  to  say  it  aloud.  After 
all,  I  reiterate  it  is  all  one  to  me,  —  we  are  lost  past  all 
help.  With  us  there  are  only  whirlpools.  —  And  these, 
not  whirlpools  upon  a  watery  gulf,  beneath  which  is  a  calm 
depth,  but  whirlpools  of  sand.  Now  the  whirlwind  blows 
from  the  East  and  the  sterile  sand  buries  our  traditions, 
our  civilization,  our  culture  —  our  whole  Poland  —  and 
transforms  her  into  a  wilderness  upon  which  flowers 
perish  and  only  jackals  can  live." 

Here  he  pointed  to  Marynia's  coffin : 

"Lo,  there  is  a  flower  which  has  withered.  Do  you 
know,  sir,  why  I,  though  a  relative,  seldom  visited  them  ? 
Because  I  felt  ashamed  before  her  eyes." 

They  reached  the  station  and  went  upon  the  roadway, 
from  which  could  be  seen  the  coach,  decorated  with  flowers 
and  fir-tree  boughs. 

"Are  you  riding  to  Zalesin?"  asked  the  doctor. 

"I  am.    I  want  to  gaze  at  Pani  Otocka.    God  knows 


WHIRLPOOLS.  387 

what  now  will  become  of  her.  And  see,  sir,  how  Gronski 
looks.  An  old  man  —  what?  Now  his  Latin  and  books 
will  not  help  him." 

"Who  would  not  have  felt  this,"  answered  the  doctor. 
"Krzyeki  also  looks  as  if  he  were  taken  off  the  cross." 

"Krzycki?  But  perhaps  it  is  because  his  matrimonial 
plans  are  broken." 

Further  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the  orchestra 
which  began  to  play  Chopin's  "Funeral  March." 


388  WHIRLPOOLS. 


XVII 

Dr.  Szremski  upon  his  return  to  the  hotel  began  to  ponder 
over  Swidwicki's  words,  which  were  imbedded  deeply  in 
his  memory.  Before  his  eyes  there  glided  a  picture  of  the 
funeral  procession  and  that  coffin,  with  the  victim,  mur- 
dered by  those  to  whom  she  wanted  to  do  good.  "Yes, 
yes !"  he  said  to  himself,  "that  apparently  was  a  mistake, 
but  similar  mistakes  are  the  logical  consequences  of  the 
unbridled,  blind,  animal  instincts.  We  must  admit  that 
we  are  flying  at  break-neck  speed  into  some  bottomless 
abyss.  And  not  only  we.  But  is  it  allowable  to  conclude 
from  this,  that,  as  to-day  we  conducted  song,  murdered 
by  the  rabble,  so  after  ten,  twenty,  or  fifty  years  we  will 
witness  the  burial  of  learning,  culture,  and  civilization? 
Apparently  —  yes.  It  is  high  time  that  God,  Who  rules 
the  world,  should  give  new  proofs  that  He  in  reality 
rules.  It  ought  to  thunder  so  that  the  earth  would  tremble 
—  or  what  ?  Mankind  are  entering  upon  a  road  which 
is  directly  opposite  to  entire  nature.  For  the  whole  en- 
deavor of  nature  is  to  create  as  perfect  beings  as  possible 
and  through  them  to  ennoble  the  species;  and  humanity 
perversely  kills  them  as  it  did  that  angelic  child,  or 
else  seizes  them  by  the  hair  to  drag  them  from  the  heights 
to  the  general  level.  And  nevertheless  this  is  but  a  specious 
appearance.  If  the  engineers  determined  to  excavate  all 
the  mountains  and  make  the  earth  as  smooth  and  even  as 
a  billiard  ball,  some  convulsions  would  take  place,  some 
eruptions  of  volcanoes  would  occur,  which  would  create 
new  abysses  and  new  heights.  Of  the  Aryan  spirit  can  be 
said  that  which  the  Grecians,  enamoured  with  the  soothing 


WHIRLPOOLS.  389 

architectonical  lines,  said  of  the  Roman  arches :  '  The  arch 
will  never  fall  asleep.'  Likewise  the  Aryan  spirit.  The 
humanity,  which  possesses  it,  is  incapable  of  drifting  into 
infinity  on  one  wave,  thinking  one  thought  and  living  in  one 
idea.  That  which  is  to-day  —  will  pass  away.  On  the 
summits  of  reason,  feeling,  and  will,  new  whirlwinds  will 
generate  and  they  will  raise  new  waves." 

Here  the  doctor's  thoughts  were  apparently  directed 
nearer  to  matters  lying  more  on  his  heart,  for  he  began 
to  clench  his  fist  and  pace  with  big,  uneasy  steps  about  the 
room. 

"Will  we,"  he  said  to  himself,  "however,  remain 
amidst  these  convulsions,  waves,  and  whirlwinds  ?  Whirl- 
pools ?  Whirlpools !  —  and  of  sand !  Sand  is  burying  the 
whole  of  Poland  and  transforming  her  into  a  wilderness, 
on  which  jackals  live.  If  this  is  so,  then  it  would  be  best 
to  put  a  bullet  in  the  head.  —  I  am  curious  as  to  what 
Gronski  would  say  to  this  —  but  lightning  has  struck  his 
head  and  it  is  of  no  use  to  speak  to  him.  —  We  are  lost  past 
all  help  ?  That  is  untrue !  Beneath  these  whirlpools  which 
are  whirling  upon  the  surface  of  our  life  is  something  which 
Swidwicki  did  not  perceive.  There  is  more  than  elsewhere, 
for  there  is  a  bottomless  depth  of  suffering.  There  plainly 
is  not  in  the  world  greater  misfortune  than  ours.  With  us 
the  people  awake  in  the  morning  and  follow  the  plough  in 
the  field,  go  to  the  factory,  to  the  offices,  behind  the  benches 
in  the  shops,  and  all  manner  of  labor  —  in  pain.  They  go 
to  sleep  in  pain.  That  suffering  is  as  boundless  as  the  ex- 
panse of  the  sea  while  the  whirlpools  are  but  ripples  upon 
that  expanse.  And  why  do  we  sufi'er  thus  ?  Of  course,  we 
might,  at  once,  to-morrow,  breathe  more  freely  and  be  hap- 
pier. It  would  be  sufficient  for  every  one  to  say  to  Her, 
that  Poland,  of  whom  Swidwicki  says  that  she  is  perishing, 
'Too  much  dost  Thou  pain  me,  too  much  dost  Thou  vex 
me ;  therefore  I  renounce  Thee  and  from  this  day  wish  to 


390  WHIRLPOOLS. 

forget  Thee.'  —  And  nevertheless  nobody  says  that ;  not 
even  such  a  Swidwicki,  who  prevaricated  when  he  said  it  is 
all  one  to  him ;  not  even  they  who  throw  bombs,  and  mur- 
der sisters  and  brothers !  —  And  if  it  is  so  that  we  prefer  to 
suffer  than  renounce  Her,  then  where  are  the  jackals  and 
where  is  Her  destruction  ?  Jackals  seek  carrion,  not  suffer- 
ing !  So  She  lives  in  every  one  of  us,  in  all  of  us  together, 
and  will  survive  all  the  whirlpools  in  the  world.  And  we 
will  set  our  teeth  and  will  continue  to  suffer  for  Thee, 
Mother,  and  we  —  and  if  God  so  wills  it,  —  and  our  chil- 
dren and  grandchildren  will  not  renounce  neither  Thee 
nor  hope." 

Here  Szremski  was  touched  by  his  own  thoughts,  but 
dawn  brightened  his  countenance.  He  found  an  answer 
to  the  question  which  Swidwicki  thrust  into  his  soul. 
Walking,  he  began  to  repeat :  "  For  nothing,  nobody  would 
consent  to  suffer  thus."  After  which  it  occurred  to  his  mind 
that  to  suffer  for  Her  was  not  yet  sufficient,  for  he  began  to 
rub  his  hands  and  turn  up  his  rumpled  sleeves,  as  if  he 
wanted  at  once  to  do  some  important  and  urgent  work. 
But,  after  a  while,  he  observed  that  he  was  in  the  hotel, 
so  he  smiled,  with  his  sincere,  peculiar  smile,  and  said  aloud : 

"Ha!  It  cannot  be  helped.  To-morrow  I  must  return 
to  my  hole  and  push  the  wheelbarrow  along." 

And  suddenly  he  sighed: 

"To  my  solitary  hole." 

After  which,  he,  himself,  not  knowing  why,  recollected 
what  Swidwicki  had  told  him  about  the  breaking  of 
Krzycki's  matrimonial  engagement,  and  his  thoughts,  like 
winged  birds,  began  to  fly  to  Zalesin. 


THE     ENT3 


THE     ZAGLOBA      ROMANCES 

by  Henryk  Sienkiewicz.  Translated  from 
the  Polish  by  Jeremiah  Curtin. 

WITH  FIRE  AND  SWORD 

An  Historical  Novel  of  Poland  and  Russia.  Illustrated. 
Crown  8vo.     $\.^onet. 

The  first  of  the  famous  trilogy  of  historical  romances 
of  Poland,  Russia,  and  Sweden.  Their  publication 
has  been  received  as  an  event  in  literature.  Charles 
Dudley  Warner,  in  Harper'' s  Magazine,  affirms  that 
the  Polish  author  has  in  Zagloba  given  a  new  crea- 
tion to  literature. 

A  capital  story.  The  only  modern  romance  with  which  it  can 
be  compared  for  fire,  sprightliness,  rapidity  of  action,  swift  changes, 
and  absorbing  interest  is  "The  Three  Musketeers"  of  Dumas. — 
Neiu  York  Tribune. 

THE  DELUGE 

An  Historical  Novel  of  Poland,  Sweden,  and  Russia. 
A  Sequel  to  "  With  Fire  and  Sword."  With  map. 
2  vols.      Crown  8vo.     $i.oonet. 

Marvellous  in  its  grand  descriptions. —  Chicago  Inter-Ocean. 
Has  the  humor  of  a  Cervantes  and  the  grim  vigor  of  Defoe. ^ 
Boston  Gazette. 

PAN  MICHAEL 

An  Historical  Novel  of  Poland,  Russia,  and  the 
Ukraine.  A  Sequel  to  "With  Fire  and  Sword" 
and  "The  Deluge."      Crown  8vo,      $i.^onet. 

The  interest  of  the  trilogy,  both  historical  and  romantic,  is 
splendidly  sustained. —  T/ie  Dial,  Chicago. 

LITTLE,    BROWN,  &    COMPANY,  Publishers 
Boston,   Massachusetts 


gUO  VADIS 


A  Narrative  of  the  Time  of  Nero.  By  Henryk 
SiENKiEwicz.  Translated  from  the  Polish  by  Jere- 
miah CuRTiN.     Illustrated.     Cr.  8vo.  $1.50  net. 

One  of  the  greatest  books  of  our  day. —  The  Bookman. 

The  book  is  like  a  grand  historical  pageant. —  Literary  florid. 

Of  intense  interest  to  the  whole  Christian  civilization. — Chicago 

Tribune. 

Interest  never  wanes ;  and  the  story  is  carried  through  its  many 
phases  of  conflict  and  terror  to  a  climax  that  enthralls. —  Chicago 
Record. 

As  a  study  of  the  introduction  of  the  gospel  of  love  into  the 
pagan  world  typified  by  Rome,  it  is  marvellously  fine. —  Chicago 
Interior. 

The  picture  here  given  of  life  in  Rome  under  the  last  of  the 
Cassars  is  one  of  unparalleled  power  and  vividness. — Boston  Honk. 
Journal. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  books  of  the  decade.  It  burns 
upon  the  brain  the  struggles  and  triumphs  of  the  early  church. — 
Boston  Daily  Ad-vertiser. 

It  will  become  recognized  by  virtue  of  its  own  merits  as  the  one 
heroic  monument  built  by  the  modern  novelist  above  the  ruins  of 
decadent  Rome,  and  in  honor  of  the  blessed  martyrs  of  the  early 
Church. —  Brooklyn  Eagle. 

Our  debt  to  Sienkiewicz  is  not  less  than  our  debt  to  his  trans- 
lator and  friend,  Jeremiah  Curtin.  The  diversity  of  the  language, 
the  rapid  flow  of  thought,  the  picturesque  imagery  of  the  descrip- 
tions are  all  his. — Boston  Transcript. 

LITTLE,    BROWN,  &    COMPANY,  Publishers 
Boston,  Massachusetts 


THE  KNIGHTS  OF  THE  CROSS 

An  Historical  Romance  of  Poland  and  Germany. 
By  Henryk  Sienkiewicz.  Translated  from  the 
Polish  by  Jeremiah  Curtin.  Illustrated.  2  vols. 
Crown  8 vo.      $2.00  net. 

The  greatest  work  Sienkiewicz  has  given  u«. — Buffalo  Express. 

It  seems  superior  even  to  "Quo  Vadis "  in  strength  and 
realism. —  TAe  Churchman. 

The  construction  of  the  story  is  beyond  praise.  It  is  difficult  te 
conceive  of  any  one  who  will  not  pick  the  book  up  with  eagerness. 
—  Chicago  Evening  Pose. 

There  are  some  scenes  in  the  book  that  for  power  and  excite- 
ment remind  one  of  the  great  encounter  between  Ursus  and  the  buU 
in  "  Quo  Vadis." — Minneapolis  Tribune. 

Vivid,  dramatic,  and  vigorous.  .  .  .  His  imaginative  power, 
his  command  of  language,  and  the  picturesque  scenes  he  sets  com- 
bine to  fascinate  the  reader. —  Philadelphia  Bulletin. 

A  book  that  holds  your  almost  breathless  attention  as  in  a  vise 
from  the  very  beginning,  for  in  it  love  and  strife,  the  most  thrilling 
of  all  worldly  subjects,  are  described  masterfully. —  The  Boston 
Journal. 

Another  remarkable  book.  His  descriptions  are  tremendously 
effective  ;  one  can  almost  hear  the  sound  of  the  carnage  ;  to  the 
mind's  eye  the  scene  of  battle  is  unfolded  by  a  master  artist. —  The 
Hartford  Courant. 

Thrillingly  dramaric,  full  of  strange  local  color  and  very  faith- 
ful to  its  period,  besides  having  that  sense  of  the  mysterious  and 
weird  that  throbs  in  the  Polish  blood  and  infects  alike  their  music 
and  literature. —  The  St.  Paul  Glebe. 


LITTLE,    BROWN,   &  COMPANY,   Publishers 
Boston,   Massachusetts 


OTHER  NOVELS  AND  ROMANCES 

by  Henryk  Sienkiewicz.     Translated  from 
the  Polish  by  Jeremiah  Curtin. 

CHILDREN  OF  THE  SOIL 

Crown  8vo.      ^1.50  net. 

It  must  be  reckoned  among  the  finer  fictions  of  our  time,  and 
shows  its  author  to  be  almost  as  great  a  master  in  the  field  of  the 
domestic  novel  as  he  had  previously  been  shown  to  be  in  that  of 
imaginative  historical  romances.  —  The  Dial,  Chicago. 

HANIA,  AND  OTHER  STORIES 

With  portrait.      Crown  8vo.      ^1.50  net. 

At  the  highest  level  of  the  author's  genius.  —  The  Outlook. 

SIELANKA,  A  FOREST  PICTURE 

And  Other  Stories.     With  frontispiece.     Crown  8vo. 
^1.50  net. 

They  exhibit  the  masterly  genius  of  Sienkiewicz  even  better 
than  his  longer  romances.  They  abound  in  fine  character-drawings 
and  beautiful  descriptions.  —  Chicago  Inter-Ocean. 

ON  THE  FIELD  OF  GLORY 

An   Historical    Romance   of  Poland  in   the   Reign   of 
King  John  Sobieski.      i  2mo.  cloth.     $1.^0  net. 

WITHOUT  DOGMA 

A  Novel  of  Modern  Poland.      (Translated  from  the 
Polish  by  Iza  Young.)      Crown  8vo.      $^-S°  "^^• 
A  human  document  read  in  the  light  of  a  great  imagination.  — 

Boston  Beacon. 

LITTLE,    BROWN,   &   COMPANY,    Publishers 
Boston,   Massachusetts 


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